Historic ‘ghost’ wall mural painted over

Are there any "ghost murals" in your area of France? Many of them are adverts, almost all of them are under threat, and you can help save them

This one, which used to be just opposite the mairie in Marseillan, Hérault, has now been painted over and Clarisse Lorieux, who blogs about such "publicités peints" said it was a “shame”.

The Marseillan mairie cultural service said: "It's nothing to do with us. It didn't belong to us and we have no business telling people what they can and cannot do with their private properties."

But Ms Lorieux said: "It's such a shame. It was so well integrated with the original facade, between the two windows, and definitely deserved to be protected. It's even more regrettable because for some years now, authorities in the south of France have been actively preserving these murals."

She asks Connexion readers to send photos of ghost murals in their area to her at capverslouest@gmail.com. Her blog on the posters, she says, is to highlight the existence of these ghost adverts, as well as to raise awareness about conserving them.

If you are interested in ghost murals, you can write to your Mairie telling them a local ghost advert has been featured on the blog, and asking them to ensure it is not lost to posterity.

We have a full feature on painted adverts in the June issue of The Connexion, out at the end of next week or available to buy online here (for €4.20) from mid-week.