About Jane's London Walks

I offer alternative guided tours that encourage people to be a little bit more aware of our surroundings – a sort of physical version of Jane's London (my blog/website).

Covent Garden Christmas lights walk

My walks are friendly strolls about the things that inspire and intrigue me, not just lists of facts, figures and dates, although I do pride myself on my research and cross-referencing. I am especially interested in social and local history and how our streets have changed over the centuries.

For an overview of all my walks by location/theme please click here.
For my easy-to-see schedule please click here
To find out more about the individual walks and how to book just click here. 

Please also see my Facebook and Twitter feeds Like me! Follow me!  
And/or subscribe for occasional updates here.
Feedback always welcome: TripAdvisor

"The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot" (Werner Herzog)

Tour dates

This is a quick reference guide 
Deco in red / Ghostsigns in mauve / free ones in blue / seasonal in gold / all others in black
Updated regularly – dates and times may change – please do keep checking in
I try to offer each walk approximately once per month on different days and times.
See here for a full list of tours available some of which might not be listed below.
More in-depth information about each walk and how to book here
If the walk you are looking for isn't listed do get in touch to arrange a date as alternative dates and times can be organised. Groups or private tours also available.
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book tickets here

JANUARY 2020 

Please note that tours shown in italics are scheduled but tickets might not be available – please bear with me...

20 Mon 2pm – Literary Holloway

20 Mon 5pm – Diary of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway

21 Tue 6.30pm – The Only Way Is Essex Rd

22 Wed 6.30pm – The Irish In Islington

24 Fri 11am – NEW – The Elephants Escape!! (GospelOak-Archway)

25 Sat 11am – Deco Shoreditch

25 Sat 2pm – NEW – Deco Islington, EssexRd–Angel

26 Sun 11am – Wharves & Waterways Regents Canal

27 Mon 11am – Holloway Deco

27 Mon 6.30pm – NEW – Bloomsbury Deco – not the usual stuff!
29 Wed 11am – Philanthropy & Social Housing (Islington)

29 Thu 2.30pm – Angel's Inns & Taverns, Upper Street, Islington

30 Thu 2pm – Soho Deco – movies and markets
30 Thu 5pm – Piccadilly Deco – enticing entertainment 
31 Fri 11am – Egypt in London part 1
31 Fri 2pm – Egypt in London part 2

book tickets here

FEBRUARY

03 Mon11am – Green and Pleasant Islington
03 Mon 2pm – Arsenal Deco

03 Mon 6.30pm – NEW Deco HattonGdn+Smithfield (Carats+Carrots!)
05 Wed 5th  – 10.30am – Ghostsigns CovGdn & Soho

05 Wed 5th – 2pm – Kings Cross & The Ladykillers

05 Wed – 6.30pm – Kings Cross Deco

06 Thu – 11am – NEW – The Elephants Escape!! (GospelOak-Archway)

09 Sun – 11am – Ghostsigns Angel & Upper Street

09 Sun  – 2pm – Ghostsigns Regent Canal Islington

10 Mon 6.30pm – NEW Deco TottCtRd–CovGdn–Strand
13 Thu 5pm – The Irish In Islington

14 Fri 2pm – Wharves & Waterways Regents Canal

15 Sat 2pm – Diary of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway

16 Sun  11am – Deco City

17 Mon 6.30pm – Soho Deco – movies and markets
18 Tue 11am – Deco Shoreditch

20 Thu 11am – Ghostsigns Covent Gdn & Soho

22 Sat 11am  – Egypt in London part 1 

22 Sat 2pm  – Egypt in London part 2 

23 Sun 11am – Philanthropy & Social Housing (Islington)

24 Mon 6.30pm – Deco Islington, EssexRd–Angel

25 Tue 6.30pm – Angel's Inns & Taverns, Upper Street, Islington

26 Wed 11am – Ghostsigns Angel & Upper Street
26 Wed 2pm – Ghostsigns Regent Canal Islington
27 Thu 11am – Kings Cross & The Ladykillers

27 Thu 2pm – Kings Cross Deco
27 Mon 6.30pm – Bloomsbury Deco – not the usual stuff!

29 Sat 11am – The Irish In Islington
29 Sat 2pm – The Elephants Escape!! (GospelOak-Archway)

book tickets here

MARCH

01 Sun 11am – Deco TCRd–CovGdn–Strand
01 Sun 2pm – Deco HattonGdn+Smithfield 
02 Mon 6.30pm – NEW– Bauhaus-Warehouse-OurHouse (Clerkenwell+StLukes)

05 Thu 2pm – Holloway Deco

07 Sat 11am – Wharves & Waterways Regents Canal

10 Tue 3pm – Philanthropy & Social Housing (Islington)

11 Wed 11am – Deco City

12 Thu 6.30pm – Diary of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway

14 Sat 11am – Ghostsigns Covent Gdn & Soho

15 Sun 11am – Kings Cross & The Ladykillers

16 Mon 11am – Egypt in London part 1 
16 Mon 2pm – Egypt in London part 2 

17 Tue 11am – The Irish In Islington

18 Tue 2pm – Deco Spitalfields

19 Thu 6.30pm – The Elephants Escape!! (GospelOak-Archway)

21 Sat 11am – Ghostsigns Regent Canal Islington

22 Sun 2pm – Ghostsigns Angel & Upper Street

More dates to be added soon – please do let me know if you have preferences/requests 

book tickets here

Occasionally I do £5 pay on arrival walks. These are not pre-designed tours with designated stops but longer friendly strolls of approx 4 miles, usually along connective backstreets. Details are sent out via email to people on my mailing list – new subscribers please click here. 

  

Guided tours to the top of Caledonian Park/Market clocktower are often available on Saturday orgaanised and managed by Islington Council. Guides work to a rota. On this schedule I list only the dates when I will be there myself. Tour groups are capped at 12 people per tour but we have experienced lots of no-shows so it's worth just showing up on the day to fill any spare slots. Please note there are Health and Safety requirements regarding age, ability and suitable clothing/shoes – please be sure to read the info in here.

Discounted walking tour vouchers available when buying in person – see here for more info

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Some times and dates shown above may be subject to change Please check the Eventbrite listings for accurate information

Or visit my Facebook page – Follow/Like for news and updates

Please enquire re bespoke walks and commissions

To be informed of new walks, offers etc please subscribe here for updates.

About me

I have lived in Islington, North London, since 1988. I am intrigued by its vibrant and layered history and, as an avid local historian, I have come to know the area very well.
My guiding style is inclusive, open and friendly – I like to engage with the group I am leading and this leads to a marvellous knowledge exchange.
Every walking tour I offer is designed and thoroughly researched by Yours Truly – in fact, the research never stops with walks getting amended or added to as new information comes to light.
The varied subjects covered in my tours highlight the different facets of my personality and the things I am genuinely interested in such as art and design, sculpture and architecture, pubs, parks, ghostsigns and advertising, all of which I use to tell the social history of an area.
I am forever coming up with new ideas for walking tours – a list of 'works in progress' can be found here. Enquiries and bespoke commissions are always welcome.
And I do venture outside of Islington – please check my listings on Eventbrite.

I hope to see you soon,
Jane

Also see my blog Jane's London which is about "the wonderful little details on, around and above London's streets" though it's fair to say that I do have a have a few rants on there too, mainly about what I call the Dubaiification of London.

Jane Amelia Parker
Accredited and insured Clerkenwell and Islington CIGA guide 
Member of Footprints of London.
Feedback always welcome 

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Info and booking for all scheduled walks here

All enquiries: jane@janeslondon.com

Please also see TripAdvisor, Facebook and Twitter @janeslondon #janeslondon 

To keep up to date with new walks and relevant info, please subscribe for updates.

Feedback

"Enjoyable and informative... I look forward to attending further walks in the future" 

"I have been on one of Jane's walks and her ascent of the Caledonian Market clock-tower. Both excellent in content and very entertaining."

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Also see my TripAdvisor page

"This was a great walk... Now I feel I know the area on my doorstep much better, thanks to Jane. She weaves her own journey of discovery... and her enthusiasm and fascination rubs off on you!"


"I was really impressed... I learned so much about an area that I was born in many years ago [Arsenal/FinsburyPk]... the history behind the football club and its impact on the local area was very interesting... it's easy to tell how passionate Jane is about her varied subjects... I can thoroughly recommend Jane's tours."

"Another fascinating walk... around the Angel and the Regent's Canal area. Jane's walks are a fantastic insight into little known areas of London and she is a great gatekeeper of hidden history... showed us a part of London we had never explored before. Ghost signs, lost light industries and the echos of time past. Wonderful."

"Jane makes us look up and see what is around us. The ghost signs are a perfect example of this and the history of these old advertisements, painted or built onto the sides of buildings... an interesting insight into our social history. Our first walk with Jane was looking at Art Deco buildings in the City of London and we are looking forward to another ghost signs walks."

"[The Ladykillers] walk was both very enjoyable and informative. We were able to visit the locations used to make the film and compare with [stills from] the original film.... We departed wanting to again see the film to relive the walk. For those that saw [the film] all those years ago, the walk is a must."

Cards and prints of my photos

I am a keep photographer. Many of the places featured on my guided tours are available as printed images in the form of cards and prints through Etsy, my online sales channel.
Most of are of locations in north London close to where I live. A selection is shown below which also shows a couple of my "Stripes" montages. These are collections of signage in a specific area such as Camden, Crouch End, Tufnell Park and more.
Larger prints are available as squares, A3 or A2 sizes, and all are sized and trimmed to fit standard frames available at Ikea and High Street shops.

North London cross section – many more available

I have many more cards images available than are actually shown online so do contact me direct if you can't find what you are looking for.

Shop online though Etsy 
Or buy in person – just email/call/text me to place a order (cash, PayPal or bank transfer).
A good selection of cards can be found at these shops:
– The Only Place For Pictures, Upper Street (opposite the Union Chapel),
– Treehouse gift shop, Crouch End
– Oxfam bookshops in Upper Street and Crouch End 

Overview of my tours by location / subject

Below is an idea of the kind of walks I offer, shown by location and cross-referenced by subject matter. I hope this helps.
My up-coming walks can be found here – if the one you are looking for is not scheduled at the moment please do get in touch.
Also see my "works in progress" – I am always open to new ideas so do get in touch if there is a theme or area/location you think I ought to cover
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LOCATION / AREA

Angel area / Islington South 
Alternative Clerkenwell (not just the usual stuff!)
Art Deco/1920-30s Clerkenwell-StLukes
Art Deco/1920-30s Old Finsbury
Creative Islington – make it, paint it, bake it
Ghostsigns, Upper Street
Ghostsigns, Regent's Canal
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
Inns & Taverns of Angel Islington
Look At The Estate We're In (philanthropy and social housing)
Waterways, Wharves & Warehouses (CityRdBasin & Regents Canal)
The Only Way Is Essex Road

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Islington North / Holloway, Arsenal, Archway etc
Archway Overview
Art Deco/1920-30s Arsenal & Finsbury Park
Art Deco/1920-30s Holloway
Art Deco/1920-30s Islington – EssexRd-Angel
Bygone Brands and Businesses (N19)
The Diary Of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway
Ghostsigns, Holloway (N7)
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
The Irish In Islington (Archway, N19)

Literary Holloway – lyrics, limericks, fantasy & fraud

Oxford Street of the North – Holloway's Victorian Heyday (N7)
Pubs & Taverns of Holloway Rd (over 30 locations, in two parts)
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Camden & Kings Cross area
Camden Art Deco/1920-30s – Cigarettes & Alcohol
KX & The Ladykillers (film locations comparison)
Ghostsigns, Camden (gin, drugs & shopping)
Ghostsigns, Kentish Town
Ghostsigns, King's Cross

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town

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Central and East 

Art Deco walks – various locations – see themes below

Covent Garden Christmas lights
Covent Garden & Soho ghostsigns – Leather, Limos and Lubrication
Spitalfields & Aldgate Art Deco/1920-30s
Shoreditch & Hoxton Art Deco/1920-30s
The Strand – What a Relief (sculptural/carved highlights)
Walk Like An Egyptian Part 1 – Embankment to Oxford Circus
Walk Like An Egyptian Part 2 – Oxford Circus to Bloomsbury

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SUBJECTS / THEMES

Architecture
What is Art Deco?
Art Deco/1920-30s Camden – Cigarettes & Alcohol
Art Deco/1920-30s City/SquareMile
Art Deco/1920-30s Arsenal to Finsbury Park
Art Deco/1920-30s Holloway
Art Deco/1920-30s Holborn to Aldwych

Art Deco/1920-30s TottCtRd-Strand

Art Deco/1920-30s HattonGdn-Smithfield

Art Deco/1920-30s Clerkenwell-StLukes

Art Deco/1920-30s Piccadilly-StJames's-LeicesterSq
Art Deco/1920-30s Soho & The Movies
Art Deco/1920-30s Spitalfields & Aldgate
Art Deco/1920-30s Shoreditch & Hoxton
Look At The Estate We're In (philanthropy and social housing in Islington)

KX & The Ladykillers (comparison with 1955 film locations)

Holloway's Victorian Heyday – The Oxford Street of the North
What a Relief – Sculptures of The Strand
Walk Like An Egyptian – Embankment to Oxford Circus
Walk Like An Egyptian – Oxford Circus to Bloomsbury

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Arts and Literature

Create it, Paint it, Make it, Bake it – Creative inspiration in Islington
The Diary Of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway

KX & The Ladykillers (comparison with 1955 film locations)

Literary Holloway – lyrics, limericks, fantasy & fraud

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town
Walk Like An Egyptian – Embankment to Oxford Circus
Walk Like An Egyptian – Oxford Circus to Bloomsbury

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Ghostsigns 
What is a ghostsign?
Camden
Covent Garden & Soho
Holloway N7
Upper Street / Angel Islington
Kentish Town
King's Cross

Regent's Canal (Islington)
Southwark
Shoreditch

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Pubs
Angel Islington Taverns
Holloway Road (over 30 locations, in two parts)

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town

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Canals, rivers, nature
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
Waterways, Wharves & Warehouses (Regents Canal, Islington)

Boxes, Babies, Beans and Bras (Ghostsigns, Regent's Canal, Islington)

I also provide occasional commentary on my friends' canal boat tours.

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Miscellaneous/Seasonal
Archway Overview (Upper Holloway and N19)
Alternative Clerkenwell (avoiding the obvious!)
Covent Garden Christmas lights
Creative Islington – create it, paint it, make it, bake it
The Irish In Islington (Archway, N19)

KX & The Ladykillers (comparison with 1955 film locations)

The Only Way Is Essex Road

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What's new? What's happening?

Please just click here to be taken to the News and Events section
Updated regularly, so please keep checking in
Or click here to subscribe for occasional email updates.

Alternatively, check the Eventbrite listings for further information

Or visit my Facebook page – Follow/Like for news and updates

Investigate the backstreets

"If you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts. It is not in the showy evolutions of buildings, but in the multiplicity of human habitations which are crowded together, that the wonderful immensity of London consists."
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)

How many steps do we take?

Health guidelines suggest we walk 10,000 steps a day.
In the past few years friends have been showing me their steps-counting wristband devices boasting that they have hit the target by mid-morning. Hmmm. I am rather dubious about these claims and the figure of 10,000 steps. Especially when I know all they've done is walk to the tube/bus and then do the same at the other end. I wonder if they are just their arms around a lot!
I have always liked walking preferring it wherever possible to public transport as this allows me to explore "off road".
My guided tours average out at just over a mile for every 90 minute walk. But how many steps is that*?
I been doing some calculations of my own. When I am walking on my own I pace it out much faster than when leading a tour. I have counted the actual steps I take to do the round trip from my front door in Holloway to my printer just beyond Highbury and Islington station (just short of 4 miles). I have tested this a few times to make sure I have got it right.
And the results are in – at Jane-speed I take 4,500–5,000 steps depending on the route, getting home again in about hour. So, using the larger figure, let's say 1 mile = 1,250 steps = 15mins. This means for me to achieve 10,000 steps a day I need to walk 8 miles for 2 hrs. Minimum.
As I suspected, it's a tall order. Even for me. If you take smaller steps you will hit the target quicker and take less time to do it.
Phew!
*Somewhere between 1,250 and 1,750 steps depending on your pace length and the walk route.

Local London Guiding Day – free walking tours

Every year in October four of London's guiding associations get together to offer a range of free one-hour guided walks on a common subject.
In 2019 our theme was Victorian innovation and, despite horrible wet weather on the day, we had a marvellous turn out of attendees. People heard about and were shown evidence of how the second half of the 19th century saw major breakthroughs in so many fields that paved the way for the products and services that today we take for granted.

If you missed out this year do mark it in your diary for next year – it's usually scheduled for the second Saturday in October. More info on the four guiding associations can be found within this link: locallondonguidingday.com

Blimey guv, this leaflet is good – I wonder who created it?!

Discount tour vouchers available

Reduced prices 

Occasionally I do market stalls selling my cards and prints at cheaper than they are in my online shop. And at these markets I also offer my walking tours at approx 10% off* 

Thanks to everyone who came along to say hello at The Cally Festival on Sunday 23rd June, the Archway Summer Festival on Sun 21st July and the Angel Canal Festival on Sept 1st.

Loyalty discounts are also available

*Vouchers can be bought for cash and are not walk/date-specific. They are valid for one whole year from the date of purchase and can be allocated to specific tours when you are ready. Simple! 

Inspirational Islington

Thanks to those of you who joined me for my creativity-themed walk on Tuesday 9th April 2019 –  I think we all had a marvellously inspirational time despite the wet weather.
Here's a pic from the day – thanks to my mate Brian – find the whole set of pics on Facebook here.

1930s Art Deco and Modernism

Streamline Moderne

What is Art Deco?
Do you like cantilevered simplicity or Jazz Age geometrics? Do you "ooh" every time you drive past The Hoover Factory? Do you "wow" when you see Senate House? Do you yearn to live in a house with interiors to rival Eltham Palace?
There is not just one design ideal for this period – we’ve all got a different take it beacuse "Art Deco" has become a catch-all term for the period mid20s–pre-WW2; a time of change when architects were keen to move away from the fussy embellishments of the past.
You might be surprised to learn that he term "Art Deco" was not coined until 1968 by Bevis Hillier when he referred to this period in reference to the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts that took place in Paris, 1925. But it is a bit misleading, especially in regard to architecture, as most of the buildings that carry the tag are lacking in decoration – it's all about simplicity of line with a bit of geometric ornamentation here and there. One could argue that the only style that fits the term is the Egyptian temple revival. But it also covers tiled factory façades, temples to industry, Portland stone banks, minimalist shop fronts, ocean liner office blocks and impressive department stores.

Join me on a walking tour to find out more. I have pounded the streets and discovered many unsung gems. These I have collected into a series of "Art Deco era" tours (or should we say, early 20th Century architecture tours?) and I am sure on every walk you will find something that gives you that 'wow' moment.

My Holloway tour includes the marvellous neon sign shown right. This night-time image and a day time shot of the building are available as cards and prints at various sizes. Lot more images available inc the Carreras factory at Mornington Crescent and The Carlton Cinema in Essex Rd. See my online shop here. Or contact me to make a purchase in person.

More Art Deco tours in other areas coming soon – Please see the schedule for more information or subscribe for updates here.

Here's a review on tripAdvisor about my Art Deco Holloway walk:

Christmas events

This year I am doing a stall on Sunday 1st December on Navigator Square, adjacent to Archway tube station. More info here.

A big thanks to everyone who came along to the Archway and Whitecross Street Christmas lights switch-on events in December 2018.
Despite the cold weather and gusty winds in both locations, we had a marvellously jolly time with Santa and the Dave Poyser, Mayor of Islington 2018-19, plus some great live music and entertainment.

Canal boat tours along the Regent's Canal

I am the designated tour guide for Hidden Depths.

Three boats are available for hire – Lapwing takes 14 people and Joan and Freda can accommodate 40. 

Trips start at the foot of Granary Steps, Kings Cross. 

Tours can be organised to go west towards Camden or east through Islington Tunnel to City Road Basin. 

For more details, please visit the Hidden Depths website or talk to Barbara on 07456 084584.

Thanks to everyone who came along on our Save The Swans fund-raising event in September 2018. It was such an enjoyable day. 

We raised approx £1000 to care for birds injured on our waterways.

The Diary Of A Nobody

This 90-minute tour shows you the inspiration behind the places and characters created by the brothers Grossmiths in their amusing little book. 

I have read it, ooh, eight times now. And each time I have noticed something new, perhaps in the form of an amusing reference to a nearby place with a clever name-change, or satirical hint at something that was topical or relevant back in the 1880s. The world of 130 years ago really isn't that far removed from today. 
The prep for this walk was extensive but really enjoyable – I spent a lot of time absorbed in old directories and I was often to be found wandering up and down the top half of Holloway Rd like some kind of private detective as I scribbled notes and hunted for the best locations to tie in with the Grossmiths' narrative. But it's all been worth it as I have always had lovely feedback from the people who have joined me on these tours.
So why not join me sometime soon? 
We'll visit places where Mr Pooter and his family and friends might have lived, visited and shopped. Along the way I point out buildings and references whilst reading some relevant amusing passages from the book. It's a delight!! (Even though I do say this myself!)

You don't need to know or have already read the book to enjoy the walk, but I am pretty sure that you will be reading it after the tour!

For literary fans – why not try my Lyrics and Limericks, Fantasy and Fraud walk which takes us through Holloway showcasing the diverse range of poets, playwrights, diarists and lyricists who have lived and worked in the Holloway area.

*This walk is usually available as part of Footprints of London's  yearly LitFest which offers at least one literary-themed walk a day – like a walking book club, taking people out onto the streets of London on guided walks researched, written and led by enthusiastic, experienced, professional guides. You might have seen the marvellous leaflets I designed for 2017!

Thanks to everyone who came along on my Hallowe'en ghost-themed walks on Wed 31st October as part of the Islington Council event on Navigator Square.

I got some really great feedback including this tweet from Flora: "Loved loved loved the #Archway Files! Thanks @janeslondon for the tour. And a great use of our fab new space at Navigator Square."

It's all in the details

My walking tours are a natural progression of Jane's London – my blog/website where for the past decade I have been writing about my London observations and marrying them with collections of my photos such as this collection of 'white' places in to tie in with the snowy weather we had in March 2018. 

Press coverage

Islington Tribune Great hints on history

Islington Gazette Business of the week

Islington Now People have turned into pigeons

Ghostsigns

Ghostsigns are the faded advertisements of yesteryear still visible above today's streets mostly in the form of hand-painted letters on brick walls. I think the term can also apply to other types of defunct signage for brands or businesses which no longer exist at that site . These might be visible as names embedded into masonry or forged within metalwork.

On my ghostsign tours you'll hear fascinating stories behind these old forms of advertising such as bogus potions, big brands, small traders and clever marketing.

Info and booking here for walks in Camden, Kentish Town, Covent Garden & Soho, Kings Cross, Holloway, Archway and Angel/Upper Street.
Other areas coming soon.

See here for more about ghostsigns.

Can you help me to decipher this one in Islington?