Craft focus PUB-SIGN PAINTING

Delve into the history of pub-sign painting and meet three talented artists who are keeping this traditional craft alive

Ellie Tennant

The Red Lion, The Crown, The Royal Oak, The Star, The Ship, The Swan – most villages and towns in the country have at least one public house. The whole concept of the local ‘pub’ – along with the handpainted pictorial signs that are traditionally displayed outside them – is a uniquely British phenomenon. According to historians at the Inn Sign Society (innsignsociety.com), the tradition has its roots in Roman times. When they built roads, the Romans would open tabernae – taverns – along the route, which sold wine and had a bunch of evergreen branches fixed to the outside of the building, symbolising Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. This eventually gave rise to one of the earliest pub names: The Bush. Painted signs began to be commonplace by…

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Reclaim (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 92 - July 2024

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