Category: Vintage Postcards

Fowl Deeds In Bean Land

The gateway to my investigation of the convoluted world of the Fowlers and the Beanlands was a picture postcard of Skipton Castle Gateway, which was part of my Great Uncle's collection. The picture is pleasant enough and is typical of those hand-coloured photographs of the first decade of the twentieth century. As with so many … Continue reading Fowl Deeds In Bean Land

Brighouse Lives On

What better way to start the new year than with a puzzle? I acquired this old picture postcard of Brighouse recently, and set about trying to identify where the original photograph must have been taken from. Some prominent landmarks such as the river and canal are hidden from the view, whilst others - such as … Continue reading Brighouse Lives On

A Recycled Mucky Postcard To Lady Luppell

I came across this old postcard whilst sorting through the junk/priceless archives in my room. I decided to do a Google search for the "Lady Luppell" the card is addressed to. The only reference to the lady I could find was a blog post I wrote eight years ago, the last time I found the … Continue reading A Recycled Mucky Postcard To Lady Luppell

A Tram To The Dutchman

An old picture postcard of Boothtown Road in Halifax lands in my collection: a typical scene from the first decade of the twentieth century with tramlines and empty streets. If you look carefully at the photograph, you can make out part of the Akroydon model village on the left of the road and, in the … Continue reading A Tram To The Dutchman

A Postcard From The Conservatory

This immensely colourful postcard of the conservatory at Akroyd Park in Halifax must date from the first decade of the twentieth century, although it is difficult to date it precisely as it was never posted. Bankfield House, the home of Edward Akroyd, and its grounds, were sold to Halifax Corporation in the 1880s and converted … Continue reading A Postcard From The Conservatory

Postcard From Eliza – 2lbs Of Averlenture

My great uncle, Fowler Beanland, was a collector of postcards during the great postcard collection craze of the first decade of the twentieth century. He saved all the postcards he received and, on his death, these were passed on to first my mother and later to me. This particular card from the collection features a … Continue reading Postcard From Eliza – 2lbs Of Averlenture

A Postcard From Randal Cremer

There are few better ways of spending an evening than undertaking a pointless journey of discovery. I am not using the word "pointless" in a negative sense - I'm a great believer in pointlessness - but in the sense of an exercise that is an end in itself rather than a means to some other … Continue reading A Postcard From Randal Cremer

From Bookseller To Bookmaker In Two Generations

Whiteley's Corner was the name given to the corner of Bethel Street and Huddersfield Road in Brighouse, so called because that was the location of Whiteley's newsagents and tobacconists and their famous clock. The Whiteley family ran the shop for much of the twentieth century and it became such an established part of the town, … Continue reading From Bookseller To Bookmaker In Two Generations

It Wouldn’t Do For Mrs Read

Vintage picture postcards sent during the great postcard craze of the first decade of the twentieth century not only provide us with a picture of the physical landscape of our towns and villages at this transformative moment in time, but they also provide us with an insight into the everyday lives of the ordinary people … Continue reading It Wouldn’t Do For Mrs Read