Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tanners Hill Bomb Shelter Sign



This fading image on Tanners Hill, Deptford, is a double ghost sign. The 'S' on a white background points to a Second World War bomb shelter further down the hill.

Over the top of it you can make out more recent graffiti 'Proletariat' - the letter 'Prole' in white paint and the rest of the word bleached out on the brick work as if it at attempt was made to clean it off at some point.

A similar sign remained on Jerningham Road, SE14, until the wall was demolished recently. There'a also one in Ladywell.

Anybody know where the Tanners Hill bomb shelter was, or even recall what the graffiti said?

6 comments:

Val said...

I think it was once a claim for 'the biggest posse in the country' - if I remember right it said 'lumpen proletariat posse'. 1980s humour...

peter t said...

there is another s for shelter sign on a wall in comet street deptford

Deptford Artist said...

I think it said 'Lumpen Proletariat Posse' (not so much 80s humour, but...) who were a local kinda anarcho punk band/collective? I think they were based around Nettleton Rd / Telegraph Hill?

. said...

Haven't heard of this band before but hopefully somebody can tell us more. Lumpen Proletariat Posse were apparently featured on a 1985 video collection called Impact! (Auto-Edit) that also included Sonic Youth:

http://www.discogs.com/Various-Impact-Auto-Edit/release/3041119

BobFromBrockley said...

I used to love that bit of graffiti. I think it also said Kestrel next to it, which I assumed was a reference to the somewhat lumpen superstrength beveridge. Am I making it up, but was there also Lumpenproletariat posse graffiti in New Cross Gate, somewhere near the station?

I am also nostalgic for "Powerful jab jab" in New Cross, and the Stop the City graffiti on Jerrard St. I think the one about only women bleeding might still be there though, on Wickham Rd?

AndrewSE8 said...

The graffiti on the bridge in Tanners Hill read 'Free Astrid Proll'