They are the portals to the past dotted around Sheffield which are gradually fading into history themselves.
Ghost signs, as they are known, are old adverts or shop, pub or other business signs which have been painted or embossed onto the wall of a building - offering a clue as to its former use.
Some are well preserved but many have faded or worn away badly over the years and are today barely legible, requiring some serious sleuthing to work out what goods or services they once promoted.
Historic England describes such ghost signs as an ‘important part of the historic fabric on our high streets’.
It adds: “These faded relics can tell us much about our collective architectural, cultural and social history.”
Historic England has created an interactive online map where people can share their photos of ghost signs and the stories behind them, where known, and dozens of people have uploaded images taken across Sheffield.
Below are some of the best images of ghost signs around Sheffield which have been shared with Historic England.
The locations include Nether Edge, Crosspool, Hillsborough, Neepsend, Wincobank, Darnall and Attercliffe.
To see more ghost signs and to share your photos, visit: https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/features/ghost-signs/.
1. 'Natural No.1 Processed Peas'
This painted sign advertising processed peas was revealed when a billboard was removed from the side of the building on Sandygate Road, Sheffield. It remains in surprisingly good condition, with the pea green colouring still fairly vibrant. Photo: Sarah Rousseau/Historic England
2. 'Ind Coopes Burton Ales'
This sign appears on the chamfered brickwork of a house on the corner of Woodseats Road and Smith Wood Crescent, in Woodseats, Sheffield Photo: Jane Bartholomew/Historic England
3. 'Gold Flake Cigarettes'
Cigarette advertising is now a thing of the past but that was not the case when this sign for Gold Flake Cigarettes sign at the junction of Swale Gardens and Staniforth Road, Darnall, was painted Photo: Peter Richardson/Historic England
4. 'Water Hydrant'
The faded letters on this brick wall on Falmouth Road, Sheffield, are reportedly what survives of a wartime sign for firefighters Photo: Edwin Astill/Historic England