Supporting British Industry & Craftsmanship
Electro Signs was founded by Welsh coal miner-turned-electrician Richard "Dick" Bracey, supplying neon to circuses, funfairs, and seaside towns before his son Chris grew it into one of the world's most famous neon workshops. Its showroom, God's Own Junkyard in Walthamstow, now displays thousands of neon pieces—from Soho strip club signage to props for films like Blade Runner, James Bond, Mission Impossible and Eyes Wide Shut. The business still manufacturers hundreds of signs every year, many for the booming film industry in London.
Welshman Richard Bracey came to London, learnt the neon-sign trade and in 1952 set up his own business. At first, his company made neon advertising signs. When it became popular as artwork for the home, Richard's artist son, Chris Bracey, began treating neon as an artistic medium. He started out by making signs for Soho's strip clubs and brothels. His talents were spotted by Hollywood, and he began fashioning props for such directors as Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan.
Matthew Bracey took over the family business, following the death of his father, Chris 'the Neon Man', in 2014. He runs the warehouse and studios alongside his mother, Linda and his brothers.
The workshop is in an industrial estate in the heart of Walthamstow Village, surrounded by craft breweries , designers and architetcs. Next to the workshop, the Braceys run God's Own Junkyard, the world's biggest collection for hire of light boxes and signs in neon, bulb and LED. The showroom - an Aladdin's cave of neon signs and ephemera - has been used for photo shoots and attracts tourists from all over the world.
"Gods Own Junkyard was a popular local destination and one we visited as a family countless times, so it was great to go behind the scenes of the workshop where the neon lights are made and see where the magic (alchemy) happens." Carmel King photographed Electro Signs in November 2017 for an exhibition celebrating manufacturers in Waltham Forest Council.
