Own a slice of history as ​​Chichester City Council puts 133 old street signs up for sale

Stride & Son Auctioneers will be offering the collection for sale in an online timed auction from Friday, July 21, to Sunday, July 30, 10am to 8pm.

Saleroom director Peter Parker said: "The auction will provide a rare opportunity to buy a genuine local street sign, many of them dating to the 1960s and 1970s. Most of the memorable and iconic roads are amongst the collection, including North Street, West Street, East Street, Crane Street and Parchment Street.

"Since removal from their various original locations, the signs have been stored in the cellar of the council buildings. They are all in original 'untouched' condition, just as they were when they were replaced.

"Many are still covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime accumulated over many years – what the auctioneers refer to as 'a beautiful surface patina', although they could certainly be cleaned, part of their appeal is in their originality."

The council is responsible for street naming and carries out an annual audit of all street signs in Chichester, approximately 850 in total, to identify those that require replacement due to wear, damage or theft.

The auction is an opportunity to purchase a little piece of local history, with names like Westgate, Rew Lane, Whyke Road and Orchard Street.

Sussex takes its name from the South Saxons, a warlike bunch who managed to develop most of our settlements and gave us the language we largely speak today.

Chichester was once a Roman camp named Noviomagus, a safe place for the soldiers after the sea crossing and a march in hostile territory. Around 400 years after the Romans had left, Jutes and Saxons started to invade Britain.

The South Saxons landed at Ellanore in Chichester Harbour and the city was captured by Aelle, the first king of the South Saxons, towards the close of the fifth century. He built himself a stronghold at Chichester, inside the former Roman town, and renamed it after his son as Cissan Ceastre or Cissa’s Fort – a name first recorded in first recorded in 895 and forming the base of the city's name ever since.

Alfred the Great then established Chichester as the chief city of the Kingdom of Sussex, a fortified town making use of the remaining Roman walls. Place names across the county reflect the progress of the Saxon and Jute expansion into Kent and Sussex.