One of the aims of this blog is to record parts of London before they disappear. Not just the great and the good but the odd and unusual. The stuff that seems to appear overnight and is then gone within a few weeks never to return. A good example is the cardboard tube installation that suddenly materialized at the back of the Festival Hall.
Not fish nor fowl, not for shelter or warmth. This 22 metre, short-lived structure was created by Japanese architect and designer Shigeru Ban. Made from cardboard tubes and called the Paper Tower it stood proudly on the South Bank but vanished just as Londoners were getting used to it.
The flip side to this is that a real gem has been discovered in Oxford Street due to the demolition of several buildings that included the much loved Astoria. While Transport for London try to make everyone’s life as miserable as possible during the construction of the Crosslink Station, at the junction with Tottenham Court Road, a fantastic old sign has come into view.
Another 'Ghost Sign' can be found in Rathone Street (or should that be Upper Rathbone Place?). It looks as though the man charged with displaying the new sign could not bring himself to cover the old one.
Nice discoveries, the Veglio & Co sign will be featured in a national archive of over 600 signs hosted by the history of advertising trust. More information and update can be found on www.ghostsigns.co.uk
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