Grundisburgh

Lying between Grundisburgh Dog and the old Half Moon public house (now 'Half Moon House') and directly on the junction of the roads to Clopton and Woodbridge (B1079) and
Tuddenham/Ipswich we only recently noticed this piece of vernacular lettering in 2012.
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Grundisburgh 12012 images

'OSIER MERCHANTS
AND BASKET MAKERS'
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Grundisburgh 2
The enhancement above is an attempt to recreate the original hand-painted sign. The Suffolk reds have been repointed with grey mortar recently by the look of it and the process of raking-out of old mortar and the cleaning up of the bricks has taken its toll. Clearly the tradesman wanted passers-by to know about his wares. It seems he had a little trouble with the 'S's with their elongated nose and tilt forward, Serifs appear here and there for no apparent reason (for example, the 'E' and 'T' in "Basket") and the bar on the 'A' is very high. It would be interesting to hear how long ago it was that this tradesman shut up his business leaving this ghostly trace on a wall by a busy 21st century junction.

The maps mark this small building as Workshop Cottage.

[UPDATE 5.7.2021: 'Delighted to find your photo of the Grundisburgh osier merchant and basket maker on the internet. My first wife and I lived in Gardener’s Cottage in the grounds of Grundisburgh House, Grundisburgh, from 1974 until 1975. Our landlord was Charles Barclay, a farmer who had sold his farm to enjoy the life of a gentleman and to sail his sailing boat out of Woodbridge. Suffolk was not yet trendy. At the time we were house hunting and were amazed how many local people still lived in very poor conditions. Directly opposite on the other side of the road from Grundisbugh House was a single storey osier merchant and basket maker run by an elderly brother and sister who, despite having learning difficulties, were very skilful basket makers. They spent the day sat on a bare earth floor surrounded by bundles of willow, hand making baskets to their customer’s specifications. In the winter they had no heating, just lots of warm clothes.
The furtherest they had ever been from Grundisburgh in their whole lives was Felixstowe!
During our short stay we became good customers and must have ordered a dozen or more baskets from them, still in use today almost 50 years later. See the example of our trusty log basket below. Best wishes, David and Sue Richardson, Nottingham.' Excellent to hear from someone who remembers the basketry workers in action; and remarkable that the sign is still readable.]
Ipswich Historic Lettering: Grundisburgh 3Image courtesy David & Sue Richardson
[UPDATE 21.1.2014: 'I saw your website and had to write. As a kid I lived just up the road on Jaqueline Close from 1974 to 1978. I remember well the basket makers as I spent time with them just hanging out and chatting with them. I was about 12 or 13 years old. My family bought several baskets from them to include a dog bed basket. I remember the lettering from that time as very clear and distinct. I remember the dirt floor and all the building materials in the old building. They had a small fire place that provided heat when it was cold. I think that the brother passed away first followed a bit later by the sister. I went back in the mid 80s and saw the place, but it was of course no longer a business. It was wonderful watching them do their craft and listening to their stories. They were very nice people. Cheers, Steve Hollis.' Thanks to Steve for sharing these memories sparked off by a true ghost sign in Grudisburgh – one driven past and barely noticed by thousands.]



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