News from: Reading Borough Council
A traditional hand-painted sign on Oxford Road has secured gold in the Traditional Sign category at the 2025 Sign & Wrap Awards.
A tribute to Oxford Road’s past: The sign sits on the corner of Russell Street and Oxford Road. The design is based on a Victorian street sign that once stood in the same place, and lists the names of shop owners who have traded there since 1829.
The idea came from a group of local history volunteers from the Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee. They shared archive records showing the history of the buildings and conducted research to help bring the project to life.
The sign was designed and hand-painted by signwriter Tomos Jones from Momo Signs. He spent eight days painting each name by hand using traditional brushes and oil-based paints. Every colour was mixed specially to give the sign an aged, 200-year-old look.
Before the sign could be painted, Cliveden Conservation repaired the wall using old-style building materials like lime mortar and lime render. This helped make a strong base for the new sign.
Part of a bigger project: The sign is part of a four-year programme to improve historic parts of Reading. Reading Borough Council received £800,000 from Historic England and matched it with another £800,000 to fund the High Street Heritage Action Zone. The programme has helped restore buildings, signs and monuments around the town.