Gold Leaf Sign Chiswick London
Sign WritingKensington Gilders were commissioned to create a gold leaf sign in Chiswick, London. The project was for a Fuller's pub, one of the many traditional public houses in the Chiswick area, and the brief was to produce a sign that would be in keeping with the building's character and the Fuller's brand heritage.
Fuller's is one of London's oldest and most respected breweries, with a history stretching back to the 17th century, and their pubs have a particular visual identity rooted in traditional English craftsmanship. Gold leaf sign writing is an integral part of that identity, and you will find it on Fuller's pubs across west London, from Chiswick to Hammersmith to Kew.
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For this project, we produced exterior signage using 23.5 carat gold transfer leaf on a timber fascia board. Transfer leaf is the practical choice for exterior work. Each sheet of gold comes attached to a tissue backing, which makes it easier to handle in outdoor conditions where even a light breeze would scatter loose leaf. The timber was first prepared with a smooth, sealed base and then coated with oil-based gold size. Timing the lay is critical with oil gilding: the size must reach the correct tack, just sticky enough to grip the leaf firmly, before any gold is applied. Lay too early and the leaf sinks into the wet size; lay too late and it won't adhere properly.
The lettering was hand-drawn by our sign writer based on the Fuller's house style, with each character spaced and sized to read clearly from street level. After the gilding was complete, the letters were outlined with a fine shadow line in a contrasting colour to lift them from the background, a traditional sign writing technique that improves legibility from a distance.
The finished sign was sealed with a UV-resistant varnish to protect the gold from weathering, and it should give many years of service before any maintenance is needed.
