Cures Wounds & Sores

A faded advertisement- or ‘ghost sign’- painted on the side of a house, Regent Square WC1. November 2014

8 responses

beetleypete January 4, 2015 at 12:46 am | Reply

I wonder what it was that cured those sores?
Happy New Year! Pete.
1. View from the Mirror January 4, 2015 at 1:16 am | Reply
  
  Thanks, Pete 🙂 Happy new year to you also.
  
  I drive past the sign often and have always wondered about its origins. I’ve tried researching the slogan but haven’t found an answer unfortunately. If any readers have some information on it I’d love to know!
merewoman January 4, 2015 at 9:29 am | Reply

Well, honey is one of nature’s medicines, and works well as a cure for sores and minor wounds, bur I don’t expect that is the product being advertised. 🙂

I wish these old signs were preserved, they are so much a part of our social history and are far more attractive – IMHO – than the gaudy, dumbed-down posters we see today.

They are gradually fading from the walls here in France, sadly. I’d love to have the resources to be able to travel the country photographing them before they are gone for ever.

Have a good 2015.
1. View from the Mirror January 8, 2015 at 11:55 pm | Reply
  
  Nice comment, merewoman 🙂 Happy 2015 to you too.
2. Damian Harris January 12, 2015 at 10:41 pm | Reply
  
  Couldn’t agree more with this comment.
  So much more civilised than the ads of today that bombard us at every turn.
  Thanks for posting the photo Robert.
  I’m really loving the site. Discovered it over Xmas and am currently working my way through the archive of past posts. Fascinating stuff. Keep up the good work. 🙂
  Here are a couple of links to websites that feature more of these nuggets of history.
  
  http://www.hatads.org.uk/ads/ghostsigns.aspx
  and
  http://www.ghostsigns.co.uk
  1. View from the Mirror January 15, 2015 at 12:39 am
    
    Thanks, Damian
Sam Roberts January 8, 2015 at 11:16 am | Reply

When you look at the full sign, you can see that it was Bates’s Salve that was claimed to cure wounds and sores.
1. View from the Mirror January 8, 2015 at 11:55 pm | Reply
  
  Thanks, Sam!