Nottinghamshire historian Anne Jeffery is part of an online project which seeks to photograph, research and archive the remaining examples of hand painted wall advertising in the UK.
The faded ads are known as ghost signs. They can be found all over Nottinghamshire advertising different products and services. This one on Station Street advertises a former drapery on South Parade, Nottingham.
The signs were painted by skilled craftsmen long before mass produced billboards arrived. (Picture of ghost sign behind billboard in Hockley, Nottingham).
Anne said: "They are pieces of art. The people that did them must have been incredibly skilful. They weren't intended to last forever but it's testament to their skill that they are."
The signs are usually found in areas that have not been redeveloped. Anne said: "They are usually above eye line, I would imagine people don't even realise they're there." (Picture of two butchers' shops in Sneinton).
Signs are lost due to weathering, being painted over or being knocked down. "We are campaigning to keep them and make sure people preserve them," said Anne. (Picture: Advert for Gold Medal Ales, North Sherwood Street).
The archive is hosted by the History of Advertising Trust and can be found at www.ghostsigns.co.uk (Picture of ghost sign on Foxhall Road, Forest Fields, Nottingham).
This is Anne Jeffrey's picture of a ghost sign for a former coal merchants in Radford. We would like your pictures of the ghost signs you have seen in Nottinghamshire. Please e-mail them to: nottingham@bbc.co.uk
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