The tram ......a King's visit ..... and a freebie ..........

 There will be someone who can date the picture postcard, and by extension name which King was visiting Manchester and set off this display of civic loyalty.

It could be Edward Vll, or his son, George V or  just possibly either Edward Vlll, or George Vl.

And quick as a flash, David Harrop pointed to the cypher on the front of tram car and offered up the explanation that this was a visit from Edward Vlll.

For me, what is more intriguing is the printed information on the reverse of the car, which carries the information, “This beautiful Series of Fine Art Post Cards is supplied free exclusively by Brett’s Publications, comprising ‘My Pocket Novels’, ‘Keepsake Novels’ and Something to Read’”.

A first trawl revealed no company called Brett’s Publications or the three series for 1911 in the Manchester Directories, and I suspect I won’t turn them up in earlier directories.

They could of course be based in London or any other part of the country.

But they offer up an insight into advertising and retail long before a soap company offered free plastic flowers with each sale, or various companies gave away novelty toys in their packets of breakfast cereals.

But like the date of the picture postcard, someone will have an opinion on Brett’s Publications and will have done the serious research.

Well I hope so.

Location; Manchester

Picture; The King’s Visit to Manchester, date unknown from the collection of David Harrop.

Advertising things in 1959 ...… never miss an opportunity

 We are on Upper Brook Street with a group of houses about to be demolished.

But never underestimate the determination of an advertising company to use every available site to good use.

And so in 1959, as you passed these houses there were the boards advertising Navy Blue Cigarettes and Corn Flakes.

Location; Manchester

Pictures; never miss an advertising opportunity, 1959, 1959-2878.1courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?

When you get two for one ….. the ghost sign with history

I wonder how many people in Northwich remember this ghost sign when it properly did the business of advertising Bristol cigarettes.

They were one of the products made by W.D.& H.O. Wills which my Wikipedia tells me “was a British tobacco manufacturing company formed in Bristol, England. It was the first British company to mass-produce cigarettes, and one of the founding companies of Imperial Tobacco along with John Player & Sons.

The company was founded in 1786 and went by various names before 1830 when it became "W.D. & H.O. Wills". Tobacco was processed and sold under several brand names, some of which were still used by Imperial Tobacco until the second half of the 20th century. 

The company pioneered the use of cigarette cards within their packaging. Many of the buildings in Bristol and other cities around the United Kingdom still exist with several being converted to residential use”.*

I am too young to remember “fag cards” but was an avid collector of those which came with packets of tea.  These cards carried on the tradition and like their cigarette counterparts, found their way into albums specially produced to hold them and covered a range of topics from butterflies to steam locomotives, war and sporting “heroes” and much more.

And in a homage to cigarette cards, my tea ones were also called “fag cards” and as well as ending up in albums, were traded in the playground.

Along with that game which involved placing two cards propped up against the wall and attempting to knock them down by flicking more cards at them. The winner was the one that dislodged his propped up card and to him/her went all of the discarded cards used in failed attempts to bring one of the two down.

Needless to say many of the winning hoard were grubby, dog eared and battered.

So, back to the ghost sign which seems to show at least two signs and the name, Robert Cheatoe & Sons which I guess may be the name of the distributor or the owners of the tobacconists, who sold Bristol cigarettes.

I wish I had access to the street and trade directories for Witton Street in Northwich where our ghost sign adorns a gable end, but I don’t and that makes it difficult to locate Robert Cheatoe & Sons and determine if the gable end belonged to them.

As for a date or a series of dates for our sign that is also vague.  I know that Bristol cigarettes were manufactured from 1871 to 1974 which gives us quite a margin of time to play with.

All of which leaves with hoping that someone will remember the ghost sign and perhaps provide answers to when it was painted, if it was hidden by a later adverting hoarding and just who and where were the firm Robert Cheatoe & Sons.

We shall see.

And for those still intrigued by ghost signs, they were painted adverts for a product or business, many of which no longer exist, and appeared on walls and even roves.

Some were later covered up by hoardings and others painted over, but occasionally they resurface as a reminder of lost products. look closely at our sign and you can just see the iron fittings which may have supported a hoarding.

Location; Northwich

Pictures; the Northwich ghost sign, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*W.D. & H.O. Wills, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.D._%26_H.O._Wills#:~:text=The%20firm's%20first%20brand%20was,relaunched%20in%201962%20with%20coupons.

Always look at the adverts ……. street furniture

Now, I know it’s not an original idea, but there is a lot to be said for just gazing at the adverts which adorn our shop windows, big hoardings and the electrical ones that change every few minutes.

Some can be playful while others are as memorable as any bit of art, but all so often we just pass them by without a second glance.

And with the passing of the decades, they become a historical comment on the styles, products, and attitudes of the time they were made.

I like them because they are part of the street furniture we take for granted.

So here are just a few, taken on a very wet October morning along Cathedral Walk.

It was still early and while it was a weekday, I guess the time and the weather secured the fact that I was pretty much on my own.

Location; Manchester

Pictures; adverts on Cathedral Walk, 20021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Poster corner ……… advertising on the Rec

Now the railings of the Rec offer up several uses.

And one of those is to advertise Chorlton events, from the Arts Festival, to the annual visit of the Fun Fair.

Along the way I have spotted small posters for missing animals, the occasional pop-up jumble sale, and a long time ago the banner celebrating all things Chorlton.

So, for months now, we have gazed out at the Arts Festival, which has been joined by a giant poster for the Children’s Fun Fair in that other park.

It went up sometime on Wednesday, and pretty much obscures views across the Rec to the swings.

So, not one of the most discreet adverts, and I wonder what will be next?

Location; Beech Road

Pictures; posters on the Rec, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson