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    These wall signs are intriguing. A year or more ago, Martyn Webster sent pictures of them to me, and he said:


    "Between about 1889-1893 my great grandfather,Alfred William Webster,and his family lived at 266 London Road,Dover.I believe they must have rented the house.

    "I went to look at the exterior last Sunday morning and attach some photos.

    "What intrigues me is that above and either side of the front door are two shield painted advertisements that appear to be advertising shipping services to north America and Canada.
    They are not wholly legible.
    "Do either of you have any idea to what they relate and what they actually say?

    "I have tried looking at the censuses but no 266 is not easily identifiable as it appears to be recorded as a terrace.The house is situated on the raised part of London Road which is just before where the
    old Odeon cinema used to be.

    "I wondered if it might have been an insurance company or something or alternatively there was a connexion with Harry Smith,fly proprietor of Beach Street,who used to ply his carriages up and down the
    town to the pier - he himself lived at 214 London Road and his wife Caroline Smith (nee Boorn) was a widow in residence there for very many years until 1939 when she must have been nearly 80 - I
    cannot trace her death - she is not included on her husband's headstone at St Mary's cemetery-I wonder if she evacuated from Dover in 1940,was killed in the bombing and shelling or was buried without
    a headstone inscription for some reason.

    "Harry Smith was my great grandmother's (Harriet Webster nee Smith) brother."

    This was the best I could do with them -
    Difficult to read!   I have tried highlighting the lettters but without much succss.  On the first picture I got:
       PASSENGER     BOOK(INGS?)
    and
      O D W
    CALFA?   -OBWA   
    AMERICA
    CANADA

    on the second picture:
      (something):  OFFICE
    large letters indistinct
    lower down    -ON   (London?)  STEAMER

    There should be a mention of this business in one of the directories...

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