Lymington
/ Rye
This picturesque Hampshire market town and port has a
history traceable to Saxon times, but the 18th and 19th centuries have
left the greatest mark on the architecture and businesses based in the
town. The buildings retain a charm and, thank goodness, a utility which
enables the community to withstand some of the stresses and strains of
economic fluctuation. In other words, it's a bit posh.
31 New Street
At 31 New Street stands
a warehouse with the sign:
'LANGHAM BROWNE',
the
current owners.
A panel of
ceramic lettering, decorative font, dark
against cream-white: 'FURNITURE
DEPOSITORY' And
along the top of the double doors:
'LANGHAM
BROWNE REMOVALS
LTD 674300'
A similar
panel of ceramic lettering is high up on the
side wall: 'E.R. BADCOCK'. The depository at the
corner of Emsworth Road was originally owned by Ford Furniture and
Upholsterers; it changed hands to E.R. Badcock in the late 1940s.
Above, sent in by Adam Rand (see also below): "The front of the shop of
Langham Browne which was on the high street opposite Rands [see below]
- photo
taken the day after it caught fire and burnt the roof. Langham Browne
also sold furniture as well as offering removals and depository."
5 Western Road
2016
images
The warehouse sign reads: 'LANGHAM BROWNE (REMOVALS)
LTD' and the building meets a larger, longer warehouse running
parallel to Eastern Road from which can be seen...
picked out in dark, projecting brickwork on the end wall:
'G. FORD[?] &
CO
FURNI- TURE
DEPOSITORY'
The word 'Furniture is split either side of the central
window, so there is a black brick hyphen after the 'i'.
43 High Street
Further down High
Street, towards the harbour, stands a shop with a fine piece of period
lettering on its side wall, across from a small lane. (Incidentally,
the company 'House of Flowers' (green sign above) is at 9a High Street.
'RAND & SON
GENERAL DRAPER
LADIES & CHILDRENS
OUTFITTERS
---
SPECIALITY
DRESS
MATERIAL'
-
This
enhancement, taken from below indicates that there
are traces of other lettering beneath this sign, e.g. 'WARE...' above
and behind the word 'Ladies'. While researching this sign, we came
across the superb examples of tradesmen's lettering discovered by Ann
Williams; she covers mileposts too. See Links
for her website. The 1920s photograph of Lymington High Street to the
right shows part of the original wall advert:
'RAND.
(& S)ON
(GEN)ERAL
(DRA)PERY
(WARE)HOUSE
(?)NERY
(?)S'
[UPDATE 10.6.2015: Adam
Rand has contacted us with information and an image relating to his
family business, Rand & Son. "A relation of mine has sent me the
link to your page entitled Lymington/Rye. My point of interest is the
Drapers shop – Rand & Son. This was owned by my father and started,
in another location in Lymington, by his grandfather (W B Rand).
I have attached a clearer photograph for you taken probably in the
1960s. The earlier photograph you show could be the 20s or 30s but not
later.
You speculate on the hidden wording which is likely to be:
'Rand
& Son
General
Drapery
Warehouse
Millenary
Dress'
The wall lettering is still there but the Rand shop was sold
sometime ago and the sign is now looking a little faded."
Adam also kindly sent the image of Langham Browne shop (see above) and
the following: "...a sign unfortunately not there any more although the
building still is. This was on the north side of St Thomas Street to
the west of the church."]
The rather curious layout of
lettering on this end wall (note the tiny 'T' and 'D' of 'LTD') reads:
'GARAGE
FRED
KEEPING
& SON L
TD
SHELL
LUBRICATION SERVICE
MORRIS, WOLSELY & M.G.
MORRIS & COMMERCIAL.'
13-14 St Thomas Street
2016
images
A 'painted furniture and accessories' shop in 2016 features 'FAMILY
BUTCHER' lettering beneath the shop window (the white tiling is
a clue); by the look of things the colouring in the characters has been
scrubbed to reduce its prominence.
4 Bath Road
Parallel with the Lymington River is Bath Road. No. 2 is Shipyard House
and it looks as if No. 4 is Shipyard Cottage – converted commercial
premises. The pale rectangle with 'OFFICE' in black
capitals has clearly been eaten into by the insertion of a window
during conversion into a house.
Rye, Sussex
Only a hop, skip and a jump away from Lymington is Rye
in Sussex, so we've included this example here. Rye shares the high
poshness rating of Lymington (Rye is the template for E.F. Benson's
Tilling in the 'Mapp and Lucia' novels), as well as being a port: one
of the Cinque Ports, in fact. From a bench in the churchyard we espied
a remarkable lintel above the triple window next to the front door of a
house close by. 'EAST SUSSEX COUNTY POLICE' is
cut into what appears to be a slab of stone (see depth of it as it
turns the house corner). This is now a private dwelling. There's
another house-that-used-to-be-a-police-station in Halesworth.
