Historic Signs
WORKSHEET
Vocabulary
Faded
Having lost colour or brightness over time.Heritage
The history, traditions, and cultural assets of a society.Craftsmanship
The skill in making things by hand.Speculation
The act of forming a theory or guess without firm evidence.Ornamental
Designed to be decorative rather than functional.Preserve
To protect and maintain something so it is not lost or damaged.Archives
A collection of historical records or documents.Relics
Objects from the past that have historical or cultural significance.Obsession
A strong interest in or focus on something.Commemorate
To honour and remember something important from the past.
Grammar Points
Mixed Conditionals
Used to describe hypothetical situations that connect past and present (e.g., "If these signs had been better maintained, they would still be visible today").Cleft Sentences
Used for emphasis (e.g., "What makes ghost signs fascinating is their connection to history").Passive Voice (Advanced Forms)
Used to shift focus (e.g., "Many ghost signs have been lost over time").Relative Clauses with Prepositions
Used to give extra information with formality (e.g., "The building in which this sign was painted is over 100 years old").Nominalisation
Turning verbs into nouns to make writing more formal (e.g., "The preservation of ghost signs is essential").Inversion for Emphasis
A literary or formal structure (e.g., "Never before have these signs been so highly valued").
Activities
Activity 1
Writing
Instructions
Write a short essay (150–200 words) explaining why preserving historical artefacts like ghost signs is important. Use at least four of the vocabulary words from the list.
Guiding questions:
Why do people want to save ghost signs?
How do ghost signs help us understand the past?
What could happen if we don’t preserve historical artefacts?
Activity 2
Fill in the Blank (Mixed Conditionals)
Instructions
Complete the sentences using the correct mixed conditional form.
If people ______ (preserve) more ghost signs, they ______ (still be) visible today.
If Sam Roberts ______ (not start) his research, many ghost signs ______ (remain) undiscovered.
If Historic England ______ (launch) the map earlier, more signs ______ (be) recorded by now.
Activity 3
Role Play
Instructions
Work in pairs. One student is a tour guide, and the other is a visitor. The visitor asks questions about a ghost sign and the guide explains the history of it. After practicing, switch roles!
Questions
What is Historic England’s role in recording ghost signs?
How do ghost signs provide insight into social history?
What other old things in cities should be preserved?
TRANSCRIPT
Historic Signs
NARRATOR:
As you walk through London, you might miss them at first, but look again and you’ll see them: the faded advertising signs from long ago, which are now known as ghost signs.
SOUNDBITE - Katharine Grice:
“Ghost signs are the painted signs that we can see above shops. They were hand painted in oil paint, but they've gradually faded over the years. I think what's lovely about ghost signs, it gives us a chance to stop, to pause and to look up and to connect with the history of our high street. We can see about the shops that used to be there, the products that were popular, and it just gives a glimpse into the social history of our high streets.”
NARRATOR:
Katharine Grice works for Historic England, the public organisation responsible for preserving the UK’s heritage. Once you start spotting ghost signs, they seem to appear everywhere, offering glimpses into long-forgotten stories of local businesses and craftsmanship.
SOUNDBITE - Katharine Grice:
“So this is for Cake bread, Robey & Co. And they were manufacturers of sanitary ware, but also ornamental windows, so leaded windows and stained glass windows, and they were here from 1882 to 1914.“
NARRATOR:
Sam Roberts first noticed these signs near his home in Stoke Newington. What started as a simple interest soon became a full-time passion. He has now researched and recorded thousands of signs, each with a unique tale to tell about London’s rich history.
SOUNDBITE - Sam Roberts:
“This one you find out that Robert Ellis, who the ironmonger advertised, was a local hackney lad, born 1835, died 1898. He's buried in the nearby Abney Park cemetery and, in a way, lives on through his sign.”
NARRATOR:
Many of these ghost signs come from the Victorian period. Even though they are fading, interest in them has increased, and people now even go on guided tours to learn more about their stories.
SOUNDBITE - Sam Roberts:
“The whole top portion of the wall was rebuilt at some point. My best guess is that it was damaged, perhaps by a bomb in the second World War.”
SOUNDBITE:
“And what does the sign say? ‘Six tables’?”
SOUNDBITE - Sam Roberts:
“A lot of speculation as to what that might advertise, but you do a bit of digging in the local history archives and you find out that inside this building, in the early 1900s was a billiards hall. So it was advertising that they had six tables that you could come and play on.”
NARRATOR:
Time and weather have taken their toll on these signs, and they won’t last forever. However, thanks to Sam's dedication, many will live on through his ever-expanding archive.
SOUNDBITE - Sam Roberts:
“I think there's no shame in having something that you're obsessed with and passionate about. It is the same as stamp collecting and train spotting. But I'm into old painted wall signs.”
NARRATOR:
And Historic England is asking for the public’s help. They want people to send in the locations of ghost signs across the country so they can add them to an online map.
SOUNDBITE - Katharine Grice:
“So we're creating this interactive map on our website, historicengland.org so the idea is that we can stop and celebrate these lovely relics of our past.”
NARRATOR:
Ghost signs are slowly disappearing, but at least there'll now be a lasting record of them.