Wm. Atkinson & Sons — Victorian Enamel Advertising Sign, Grimsby
Date: 1894 Maker: Patent Enamel Co. Ltd., Selly Oak, Birmingham Material: Enamelled metal Dimensions: 3 ft × 1½ ft (approximately 91 × 46 cm)
This substantial Victorian enamel advertising sign promoted Wm. Atkinson & Sons, a long-established Grimsby firm of house furnishers and cabinet makers. Its blue-black lettering reads:
“FOR FIRST CLASS FURNITURE ATKINSON & SONS GRIMSBY”
The sign itself provides unusually good evidence of its date and maker. The “894” of “1894” remains clearly visible at the lower left of the front, while “PATENT ENAMEL CO LTD”, followed by further partially obscured lettering, appears at the lower right.
At approximately three feet by one and a half feet, this was a substantial piece of advertising. Its large lettering and durable enamel finish would have made the firm's name highly visible in the streetscape of Victorian Grimsby.
Atkinson's own contemporary advertising stated that the business was “Established 1817” and described Wm. Atkinson & Sons Ltd. as “Complete House Furnishers”, with more than 8,000 square feet of showroom space at 54 & 56 Victoria Street, Grimsby. Grimsby Archives records William Atkinson & Sons Ltd., house furnishers and cabinet makers, at these premises in 1880, 1898, 1902 and 1935, and Atkinson & Sons Ltd., furnishers, in 1958. Newspaper advertisements for Atkinson & Sons have been traced as late as 1963. By 1967, the premises were occupied by the Grimsby Co-operative Society Furnishers, and by 1970 they were occupied by Timothy White, chemist.
The sign was manufactured by the Patent Enamel Co. Ltd. at Selly Oak, Birmingham. The company's purpose-built factory, built in 1889, is described by the Science Museum Group as the first factory specifically devoted to the manufacture of enamelled-iron signs. The works included twelve furnaces for fusing enamel, two scaling furnaces, a large printing room and extensive steam-pipe drying facilities, with the company also producing its own enamels and colour oxides.
The year 1894 is particularly interesting in the history of the manufacturer. According to Grace's Guide, the company went into liquidation in July 1894, with reconstruction taking place under the same name; the present company was registered on 17 July 1894. As the surviving sign is dated only to the year 1894, it is not possible to establish whether it was made before or after this reconstruction.
The sign has inevitably suffered from more than a century of exposure. Areas of enamel have been lost, allowing the underlying metal to rust, but much of the lettering survives, together with the date and manufacturer's identification.
A rare survivor of Victorian commercial signage in Grimsby, the sign records both the long-established Atkinson furniture business and the work of the Patent Enamel Co. Ltd. Made in 1894, it has survived with its lettering, date and manufacturer's mark still visible on the original face.
