Did you know that the museum contains one of the largest collections of enamel signs in the country? When writing the Dunlop Tyres article for our “History of Motoring in 10 Objects”, well over 10 years ago now, the following montage showed some of the collection of tyre-related signs; and these represent just a small part of the overall collection.

It may come as a surprise but many of the signs have no connection with motoring. Nonetheless, they provide a great insight to life in the early part of the 20^th century – including into what we used to eat and drink.

At first glance, the rather unappetising sound of Bird’s Egg Substitute might suggest that it coincided with WWII rationing. In fact, it appears to date back to the turn of the 20^th century when Alfred Bird and Sons Ltd:

“… invited the perusal of practical recipes for the use of Bird’s Concentrated Egg Substitute … in the making of all sorts of cakes, light puddings and pies”.

Apparently, it was originally only intended for Alfred Bird’s wife, Elizabeth, who had both egg and yeast allergies but evidently became a mainstream product.

Overall, there are hundreds of signs on display in and outside of the museum.

An activity for our young visitors to the museum – how many food and drink-related signs can you spot? You could start by looking behind you just as soon as you enter the first of the seven galleries – but you may have to ask a grown-up “What is Tizer?”.