A SIGN in Reading has garnered an accolade from the national Sign and Wrap Awards.
The hand-written sign on the corner of Russell Street where it meets Oxford Road has been awarded the Gold medal in the Traditional Sign category following the national event last month.
The sign pays homage to the original Victorian sign and details all of the proprietors of the building since 1829.
It was commended by judges for the skill and craftsmanship in its creation, as well as the attention to detail.
The sign was created as part of Reading Borough Council’s High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) funded programme, the Council received £800k from Historic England and match-funded to deliver a total £1.6 million programme over four years.
The sign was designed in partnership with the Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC), Cliveden Conservation, and Momo Signs, taking eight days to complete.
The CAAC provided a wealth of information from the Reading archives, which was shared with Momo Signs signwriter Tomos Jones.
After an extensive review of the building’s history, Tomos proposed creating an honours board that would list and celebrate all names of the shops that were historically known as Hampden Place dating back to 1829.
The title was completed first using oil-based signwriting enamels and traditional lettering brushes; each colour was custom-mixed to achieve tonal contrast and to give the feel that the sign was two hundred years old.
Conservators used heritage craft skills to repair the wall by applying traditional lime mortar and lime render to create a stable foundation for the new sign.
Momo Signs carried out the complex and detailed process of marking out the sign panel for the honours board and hand-writing all the names of the business in italic lettering.
Signwriter Tomos Jones used custom-mixed colours and traditional lettering brushes to achieve a 200-year-old appearance.
Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Leisure and Culture said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this national award on behalf of everybody involved, including the Reading Conservation Area Committee and our partners at Momo Signs and Cliveden Conservation.
“Reading was fortunate to be one of only 67 areas to benefit from the generous funding from Historic England to invest in our historic high streets in and around the town centre.”
She explained: “The concept of the HSHAZ was to future-proof high streets by highlighting the heritage that is already there protecting and enhancing these historic areas and also celebrating their uniqueness.
“The Oxford Road sign was a great example of the important work which has taken place as part of the project and the Oxford Road sign is a lovely nod to the past.
“It’s wonderful that it’s now been recognised in this way.”
Tomos Jones, Momo Signs, said of the industry award: “I’m absolutely thrilled for the Oxford Road sign to have won the award, it was a real labour of love.
“It means a lot to me that this sign has been recognised, appreciated and celebrated by others in the industry.”
Lewis Proudfoot, Managing Director of Cliveden Conservation, is also responsible for restoring and conserving four of the town centre monuments: the Queen Victoria Statue, Zinzan Tomb, Harrinson Testimonial Cross and Simeon Monument as part of the HSHAZ project.
He said of the award:”Working with Reading Borough Council and Tomos Jones to preserve and restore the town’s rich heritage has been an honour.
“The Oxford Road Mural is a wonderful example of Tomos’s traditional sign writing skills and a well-deserved winner.”
