Some of the signs at ‘God’s Own Junkyard’ date back to the 1950s, while others cost thousands of pounds

Whether in search of a glowing skull or a bright red heart, God’s Own Junkyard in London is a maze of multicoloured neon of all shapes and sizes which is thriving on its retro reputation.

In a vast warehouse in the east of the British capital sits Europe’s biggest collection of neon signs.

“In here we’ve got 1,400 pieces,” said the creative director of God’s Own Junkyard, Marcus Bracey, walking through the treasure trove of brightly-illuminated tubes.

Most are for sale

Most are for sale — a heart with the British flag emblazoned with ‘God Save the Queen’ across it, for instance, or an enormous pair of bright red lips with a tongue reaching out to the top of an ice cream cone.

“We’ve got a mixture of sex, contemporary art, everything,” said Mr. Bracey. “From love through lust, everything’s here.”

Some of the signs date back to the 1950s, while others can cost thousands of pounds, such as a cowboy-like Jesus Christ clutching two blue revolvers, which has been sold but never picked up by its new owner.

Colourful origins

The hip, disco-like space has evolved from suitably colourful origins through several generations of Mr. Bracey’s family.

The collection of neon was begun by Mr. Bracey’s grandfather, a former coal miner, in the 1950s.

Mr. Bracey, 43, jokes that his grandfather “came up from the dark to the light” and found his passion after leaving the mines to work for a lighting company.

It was the next generation that developed the business, now based in the up-and-coming east London neighbourhood, Walthamstow.

Mr. Bracey’s late father, Chris, became a major supplier of neon signs to the sex shops of London’s Soho district.