By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
One of the top signwriters in the country is busy utilising the skills he has learned over the past 50 years to give a fresh look to a Victorian seaside attraction in Southport.
Graham Booth is a leading artist in his trade, much in demand across the nation.
He is currently working on sprucing up the beautiful signs around the historic Silcock’s Carousel, also known as ‘Herbert Silcock’s Golden Gallopers’.
The historic ride, one of the Liverpool City Region’s most well-known attractions, has been entertaining generations of families since it was completed in 1901.
In 2023 the Carousel was voted as the fourth best seaside attraction in Britain in the Bucket and Spade Awards, organised by The Seaside Heritage Network.
Graham is carrying out his intricate sign-writing on the panels which surround the attraction, work which includes painstakingly applying gold leaf.
Graham Booth is a traditional signwriter who has been working since 1976.
He creates unique, stand-out signage on trucks, tans, classic and vintage vehicles, buses, boats, shops frontage, signboards and fairground arts.
His motto is ‘have brush, will travel’.
As someone based near Southport, he is delighted to be working at the Carousel in Southport at the moment.
The 69-year-old has enjoyed working with generations of the Silcock family over the past half century.
Graham said: “I love signwriting on steam trains, traction engines, historic vehicles, fairground rides like this one, and lots more besides.
“I have been signwriting for the Silcock family for the past 50 years! I love working with them. It’s a relationship that goes a long way back.
“I am using gold leaf to do some of the lettering on the Carousel, along with blended shading, and outlines. It’s very detailed work, but it looks beautiful when it’s complete.
“The last time I did it on this ride was 30 years ago – gold leaf lasts for a long time.
“Over the years I have tried to find alternatives to gold leaf, but there is nothing else quite like it. It’s unique.
“It’s always a pleasure to be able to work on an attraction like the Carousel. It’s amazing. I can’t think of anything better.
“It’s an important part of Southport’s heritage, an important part of our national heritage, especially when you think of how many families have enjoyed days out on this ride.
“We want to see lots of families enjoying days out in Southport this year, so it’s important that everything is looking as good as it can be.”
Signwriting has become something of a lost art in the UK. Graham began his trade in the 1970s, when there were more skilled craftspeople around.
He said: “I loved doing art when I was younger! I was given a chance when I was younger and took it. I was drawn to it. I started when I was 17.
“It was simple. You got a chance to do something and if the quality was good enough, then great; if not, you had to start and do it again!
“I soon realised I had a talent for signwriting, and I have been doing it ever since.
“I have never done an exam in my life. When my daughters came along, I told them ‘I will drag you to school if I have to!’ I wanted them to get the best education they could.
“Life has changed a lot over the years. When I started out 50 years ago, there were a lot more signwriters around. If I got a job in Burscough, I felt I was going a long way out!
“Now I work all over the country. Recently I’ve done work in London; in Oxford; in Norfolk; in Wales; and of course, Southport. Sometimes I’m invited to do work overseas.
“It’s something I really love doing.”
Silcock Leisure Group Head of Operations Serena Silcock-Prince said: “I can’t speak highly enough about Graham and the exceptional work he does.
“Sign writing is becoming something of a lost art. It’s part of our heritage.
“There are not people around these days who can do what Graham does, and certainly not at the levels of quality that he does.
“He puts his heart and soul into his art.
“As a family, we all think the world of Graham as a person. He is treasured.
“We are looking forward to the boards going back up around the Carousel in the next few days.
“There are so many great reasons for people to come and visit Southport in the year ahead, we are all looking forward to a busy few months.”
Herbert Silcock’s Golden Gallopers have been putting smiles on families’ faces since the historic ride was built in 1901.
The Carousel is currently open every weekend until the school Easter holidays, when it will be open every day.
It sits at the entrance to Southport Pier, and next to Silcock’s Funland and Silcock’s Pier Family Restaurant.
Two years ago The Carousel was recognised as one of the Liverpool City Region’s top attractions, having been honoured in the top 10 in the Hidden Gems category in the 2023 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
It stands proudly on the Promenade in Southport, offering fun for people of all ages as they spin round and round to the sound of a Gavioli fairground organ.
The ride is a beautiful symbol of happy times at the seaside through history, entertaining many thousands of generations over the past few decades.
The remarkable ride was built in the reign of Queen Victoria, by Savages of Kings Lynne.
It was purchased by the Silcock family in 1989 and it took three years of painstaking restoration to return it to its former glory.
This 18 ton ride is 42 ft in diameter, 18 ft tall and has 33 Horses – each of them named after a member of the Silcock family and family friends.
The horses on the inside of the ride are original Anderson carvings and date to when the ride was built at the turn of the century. The rest of the horses have been replaced by copies due to wear and tear.
The beautiful Gavioli organ at the centre of the ride, built by Gavioli in Paris in 1901, is worthy of being recognised as a Hidden Gem in its own right.
The Carousel is surrounded by lots of other fun attractions, including the beautiful Kings Gardens, the Marine Lake, Silcock’s Funland, Southport Beach, Southport Miniature Railway Village, Adventure Coast Southport and more.
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