A fresh set of Bordeaux ghost signs!

Ever since it launched in 2011, one of the recurring themes on the Invisible Bordeaux has been so-called ghost signs, those old handpainted names, messages or advertisements that have faded over time, but are still clinging in there, silently embellishing walls and façades.

Bordeaux appears to boast an endless supply of these charming oddities, and here is an all-new selection of finds throughout the city. Enjoy! 

This first picture, taken on rue Jacques-Nancy, shows a wallpainted sign that, from what I can make out, used to be point to the left towards a "Succursale Citroën", i.e. a garage. Unusually, it looks like the company responsible for producing the sign, "---ir Publicité", was quite happy to take up almost as much wall space as the name of its client!

The picture above was taken on cours Aristide-Briand. Entreprise Genriès clearly had a thing about all types of ladder (échelles tous genres) and was obviously specialised in carpentry and building services (menuiserie, bâtiment).

This mysterious warehouse is located bang in the city centre, albeit in a quiet side-street, rue Arnaud-Miqueu. A bit of googling suggests that Compagnie Française is still very much a going concern, and is defined here and there as a "retail business" with some sources suggest it specialises in gentlemen's clothing. To be confirmed?

There's a lot going on here at this old greengrocer's (fruits & primeurs) on rue Sanche de Pomiers, with several layers of messages to decipher. The right-hand side is easier to read with its promises of "oranges, citrons, fruits secs" (oranges, lemons, dried fruit) but the most legible part over to the left is the five-digit telephone number: 82 213.

Robert d'Isle enables us to progress to a six-digit number: 48 27 17. This outlet on rue des Trois-Chandeliers promised "entretien, location, réparations" (maintenance, rental, repairs), but in what line of business?

This old sign on rue Chauffour isn't so ghostly. For a start it appears to have possibly been given the occasional new coat of paint. And secondly, the establishment was founded "just" 31 years ago, in 1986 (by which time telephone numbers ran to eight digits). Owner Hervé Valverde, whose initials float towards the top of each glass of wine, appears to be a bit of a character, judging by the Sud Ouest piece available online here. Oh, and the telephone number remains the same to this day, with the straightforward addition of a modern-day "05" prefix.

Staying on rue Chauffour, this advert for Frigéco, the brand of refrigerators associated with French home appliances giant Thomson, even features a detailed picture of a well-stocked fridge. And, to the left, a happy figure (or possibly a snowman, it's difficult to tell) can be seen pointing to the shelves of fresh produce. The local "distributeur exclusif" is advertised towards the bottom of the wall, but serious detective work is needed to work out what it says!   

R. Leroyer operated out of rue du Hamel, but what services did he or she provide? Despite the lack of information, the sign deserves a feature here because of the elegantly-shaped letters and nifty shading used by the signwriter.

Rue du Serpolet is where you will find these traces of a bedding and upholstery business, the sign of which now combines nicely with the bunting on the first-floor balcony!

Garage de Ségur once operated on rue Ségur, catering for all your automobile-related repair, mechanical, sheet metal and painting needs (réparations, mécanique, tôlerie, peinture).

> All of these finds have been added to the dedicated Bordeaux ghost signs and shopfronts Googlemap!
> View past ghost sign features: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Cours Gallieni, Traders of the past.
> Ce dossier est également disponible en français !