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The discussion on the old pre-Worboys sign spotted by Truvelo brought up the question of what the sign is called. This reminded me that I got an email a while ago (end of May) from a chap called Keith Wilde who is busy trying to replicate this font.
Essentially his email said when he'd found Apex Corner and CBRD he found some information that confirmed what he thought about the font he was working on but also posed some questions. He'd already found a couple of DTLR documents detailing the old font (complete with a couple of diagrams) to identify older signs, which he was able to work from. But this is the strange bit. He says:
"It was great to read this bit:
=======================================
3.7.2 What font did they use?
It was an all-capitals font, sans-serif and quite
similar to a narrower version of the American
FHWA fonts. No official name is known; some
call it the "Llewellyn-Smith" font after the people
in charge of setting up this original signing system.
========================================
Very interesting, I thought, until I came upon
the line quoted above from Apex Corner, http://www.error-404.co.uk/roads/gallery4.html
The Stourbridge sign has a spur on the G, although
OK, it was made independently by the RAC.
The DTLR pdf file in another example, shows a W
that goes all the way to the top in it's "Revised Standard" font."
What we seem to have on our hands is at least two 'generations' of the same font. One (with no stalk on the G and so on) seems to be a newer one, the other older.
So the questions are: why were two versions of the font made? Why did it change (as it seems to do - not necessarily the case though) when the switch was made from casting signs to using "stick-on" letters? Are there more versions of this font?
The most frustrating thing is that despite all this, nobody yet knows what the hell this font is called or who came up with it!
Chris
A quick bit of investigation has revealed that the font prescribed in the 1944 Regulations has a be-stalked 'G'. I'm fairly sure thatthis font would have beenused in the '33Regulations as well (when the map-type direction signs, the chequered background, and massive route numbers made their first appearance).
Blue-backed and yellow-backed direction signs were introduced in the 1957 Regulations, and I can only assume that the 'new' G was introduced then (all the blue-backed pre-Worboys signs I've seen have the new G), and maybe the wholefont overhauled. I wonder why...
Thanks for noticing that, Keith/Chris!
What's the DTLR pdf file alluded to earlier got in it? Do we have a web address for it?
I've got a copy of the 1944 "Report of the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs" (Chairman: Sir Frederick Cook) and there is mention of both yellow- and blue-backed direction signs.
Paragraph 121 refers to approach direction signs and recommends that a yellow background be used when the junction is within a County Borough, Borough or Urban District in England & Wales (or Burgh in Scotland) and there is street lighting with lamps placed not more than 200 yards apart.
Paragraph 124 refers to local direction signposting and recommends that the background be "traffic blue" where the same conditions as in paragraph 121 are met.
However did these recommendations actually take place in 1944 as a result of this report, or did they not happen until 1957?
Incidentally all examples of road signs in the report have the older 'G'.
Regards
DavidB
