Beautiful new painted signs in Kirkdale

[harrym]

Who is responsible? I think they are brilliant.

[vizzle]

Ha, I just came on here to ask the same question.

It says something about Kirkdale being 'Sydenham's original High St'.

They are lovely. What's it all about?

[JMLF]

Signs plural?! Woohoo it's gonna be like Pokemon - gotta catch em all. I've only seen the wonderful sign opposite Wooster and stock - thought maybe it had been there for an age and I was going mental, thankfully a few sensible thinking people put me in my place.
Hopefully will spot the other/s over the weekend!
And indeed I totally agree - absolutely wonderful signage. Be nice to get the whole of Kirkdale high street looking as good with a few more openings and resignages! excited and hopeful for another see3 shop to pop up after Aga's is gone (boooooooooooo!!)

[Annie.]

Photos would be good

[Eagle]

Upper Kirkdale was the original High Street and indeed the word High Street still appears in one of the older buildings.

Sydenham Road is an upstart , developed after the arrival of the Railway.

[marymck]

Upper Kirkdale was the original High Street and indeed the word High Street still appears in one of the older buildings.

Sydenham Road is an upstart , developed after the arrival of the Railway.

I haven't been able to see the signs yet, as I'm working. Hopefully I'll see them tomorrow. Sounds exciting.

Yes the ridiculously long road we know as the meaningless "Kirkdale" is a relatively recent invention of the LCC. The lower part of today's Kirkdale, from the bottom of the hill to (roughly) Wells (Park) Road is a Victorian creation. The middle part of today's Kirkdale, together with the Kirkdale end of Dartmouth Road - approximately from Wells (Park) Road to the Bricklayer's Arms - was The High Street. Upper Kirkdale, from the junction with today's Dartmouth Road to the top of the hill was at that time called Sydenham Hill Road.

I've posted about the name changes before on the Town Museum & Gallery thread, where I think I gave more accurate details ... sorry, no time to dig the maps out to be more precise now.

The roads were renamed by the LCC in 1936 to "simplify" things.

Purely my personal view, but I like the names Kirkdale High Street or High Street Kirkdale. & I'd like to see Upper Kirkdale and Lower Kirkdale too.

[admin]

Photos would be good

http://sydenham.org.uk/kirkdale-graffiti-mystery/

Admin

[Annie.]

Thank you Admin, lovely signs.

[JMLF]

I was so excited I dragged my girlfriend to see the signs unecessarily.
If I can be honest I love sydenham and forest hill (being almost equally between them) and moved here for those reasons (rather then Kirkdale is what I'm saying) and feel both offer a loads in different ways - I just so happen to e lucky enough to be round the corner from a little high street with some nice and useful shops...
However, I really do feel like Kirkdale could be something special and was very excited just before moving to hear of the see3 scheme and "Kirkdale village" regeneration project. Alas since moving (or shortly before) 2 pubs have closed (windmill pending), alhambras garden coffee shop doesn't seem to have lasted (prob the weather on that one), aga's pop up is finishing and syds vintage was almost proposed to be another takeaway.
As said, I feel lucky enough to be round the corner from Kirkdale High Street and near enough/well situated to both Syd and FH high streets but do feel a little disappointed things appear to date on the face of it anyhow to have gone the opposite to what appeared to be the plan..
Hopefully these wonderful signs are the start of another push to get some new investment into the high street, whether through signage/infrastructure improvements or hopefully bigger things such as new shops or the saving of the windmill.
I really feel that either a different style pub to those nearby, a nice coffee shop like agas or a social space (e.g small cinema with bar?!) would do wonders.
This ramble was more a response to the sydenham website article on the signs hence the slight tangential chat but want it brought back to the topic - great signs and congratulations to those responsible and fingers crossed there is more to come.

Jon

[JMLF]

And there I was thinking the beautiful signs had already been completed. Seen the man responsible adding to/finishing up the signs with some lovely colours, patterns and small images.

Wonderful stuff.

[mosy]

The signs look good, no doubt about it, though I did wonder if there was a bit of an irony with so many empty shops. Are they to indicate what it once was (Sydenham's high street) in a historic lamenting way? Of course not, though I do wonder about the timing of them. It'd make more sense to me to "unveil" them in a fanfare once Kirkdale comes to resemble a high street again. Whether the signs will impart a "gotta be here" marketing imperative for potential vendors - dunno. Is that what is hoped? I don't know "what follows what" in regeneration terms - maybe some help on this?

[Manwithaview1]

The signs look good, no doubt about it, though I did wonder if there was a bit of an irony with so many empty shops. Are they to indicate what it once was (Sydenham's high street) in a historic lamenting way? Of course not, though I do wonder about the timing of them. It'd make more sense to me to "unveil" them in a fanfare once Kirkdale comes to resemble a high street again. Whether the signs will impart a "gotta be here" marketing imperative for potential vendors - dunno. Is that what is hoped? I don't know "what follows what" in regeneration terms - maybe some help on this?

Might be a prompt to the Council to do something...

[admin]

Caught in the act!!!!

[FromCtoShiningC]

Yes - what lovely signs, and the font used is terrific. I did hear (years ago) that there was a plan to open a restaurant (spanish or Argentinian from memory) opposite the piano shop….but years on, still nothing has opened there. What a shame. A decent selection of restaurants is what I think would be fabulous to see. Something to liven up the nights in SE26

[MCD]

I am a newcomer to this area - not yet moved in. But, I was thrilled to see the signs. Somebody paid a lot of money and surely council approval was needed. Yes, this stretch has great potential!

[leenewham]

Many thanks to everyone for their lovely comments on this. I've kept quiet about these!

We designed the murals, they were lovingly painted by the wonderful Peter O'Connor and commissioned by Tony Buckley from SEE3. Many thanks to everyone involved, we are really proud of them.

The full story of the signs can be seen here:
http://designedbygoodpeople.wordpress.c ... gn-murals/

[rodney]

Congratulations and thanks to all who commissioned, designed and painted the 'ghost signs' at the top of Kirkdale. They look marvellous, and add class and a sense of history to the area.
Just one quibble (and it's a pet hate of mine). Instead of "1820's", shouldn't they read "1820s" ? This word is a plural (i.e. "the eighteen-twenties"), not a possessive. It is only American English which uses the apostrophe.
Sorry to be such a pedant, but it can't be only me that's noticed. Too late to paint over the apostrophes?
This apart, the signs are marvellous.

[Rachael]

Paint out that apostrophe immediately. It's egregious apostrophe misuse that needs to be stamped (or painted) out.

[Tim Lund]

I agree with Rachael & Rodney ...

[Tim Lund]

Are Rodney, Rachael and I being mean here? I certainly didn't mean to be be, and agree with all the positive things Rodney says. These signs are great, and it's only one small point we're making.

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