Bristol Zoological Gardens: A Large Early 20thC Sign Written Painted Advertising Sign; 'American Soda Fountain' c.1930

£1,800.00

Origin: English
Period: Early 20thC
Provenance: Bristol Zoological Gardens, Bristol, England
Date: c.1930
Width: 61”
Height: 18.5”
Depth: 2.25”

The large hand sign written advertising sign at over five feet wide, displayed at Bristol Zoo Gardens during the period alongside the fountain, the whole of sheet metal and pine framed construction and painted in black with gold text by Coombs & Co of Merchant Street Bristol and surviving from the early 1930s in beautiful original order.

In untouched overall order, there are no condition issues aside from some surface scratches as photographed. There are two mounting brackets present. The sheet metal and pine have both taken on a wonderful historic patina.

Coombs and Co were a ticket and sign writers business located at 17 Merchant Street in Bristol. Old postcards of this period show similar style signs by Coombs & Co in the Zoo c.1931, most notably on the Giraffe house.

The term "soda water" was first coined in 1798, and in 1810 the first U.S. patent was issued for the mass manufacture of imitation mineral waters to inventors Simmons and Rundell of Charleston, South Carolina. The soda fountain patent was first granted to U.S. physician Samuel Fahnestock (1764–1836) in 1819. He had invented a barrel-shaped with a pump and spigot to dispense carbonated water, and the device was meant to be kept under a counter or hidden.

From the early 20th century up until the 1960s, it was common for small-town residents and big-city dwellers to enjoy carbonated beverages at local soda fountains and ice cream saloons. By the 1930s, soda fountains were a popular part of American society, especially during the Great Depression. They were found in drug stores, department stores, on trains, and on steamships.

Opened in 1836 by the Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society, Bristol Zoo was the world's oldest provincial zoo. The zoo's stated mission was to "maintain and defend" biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species and habitats and promoting a wider understanding of the natural world". Bristol, like its earlier London counterpart, included several original buildings which have been praised for their architectural quirks, despite being unsuitable for the care of animals; the (former) Giraffe House joined the main entrance lodge to the south gates on Guthrie Road as a Grade II listed building. 

The Zoo announced on 27 November 2020 that after more than 186 years its main centre in Clifton would close in 2022, with its animals moving to its Wild Place Project site close to the M5 motorway and the zoo reopening there in early 2024.

A hugely decorative sign of super proportions; in totally original order and with a beautiful story.

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