Postcards give fascinating insight into bygone times
THE collecting of postcards, officially called Deltiology by those seriously into it, has been a hobby in the UK since Victorian times and emerged in an era where both the technology of photography and the expansion of the postal system came together to provide the perfect partnership.
Town photographers in Ormskirk like Robert Cammack and Arthur Wragg began photographing local streets and buildings and then printing quantities of picture postcards for people to buy for pennies and put a very cheap stamp on.
This was in an era where local post was collected and delivered on the same day!
It was a quick efficient messaging system at a time when the telephone was not an option and telegrams were expensive.
Simple messages were hurriedly written advising of imminent arrival on the next morning’s train, safe arrival home from a visit or just simply a thank you for cards or parcels received.
Some postcards were just sent to let relatives know all was well, a scenic view of Ormskirk Parish Church would often grace the front of a postcard that simply told mum that they were browsing Ormskirk Market and enjoying visiting the church.
Some postcards that have inexplicably survived decades of sitting in a drawer, surface to be sold in online auctions.
Some of these cards are more intriguing than others.
So many times the sender would simply sign off with their initials.
This doesn’t give much of a clue as to the sender but the recipient can often lead to uncovering the mystery of who sent the card.
On February 13 1903, a young man in Ormskirk named ‘Eddie’ posted a heartfelt message to Miss C Stretch of Fairfield House, Ruff Lane.
He used a postcard of Windermere Lake and wrote beneath the front image, ‘I am tired of waiting for a post card from you’, signing just Eddie, and so we don’t know exactly who Eddie was.
Miss C Stretch is probably Catherine Beatrice Stretch, second daughter of Edmund Chalmer Stretch, a well-know auctioneer from Ormskirk.
Catherine Beatrice was one of 10 children born to Edmund and his wife Mary.
Three of their 10 children, Harold, Muriel and Edward, (who was twin to Thomas Cecil) died in infancy and are buried with their parents in the parish churchyard.
Catherine does not seem to have married and so maybe she never did send a postcard back to ‘Eddie’.
Fairfield House on Ruff Lane had been the home for many years of the Hutton family who owned the Ormskirk Advertiser.
After the Stretch family left, the home later became a nurses home and was extended in the 1960s and 70s for student nurse’s accommodation.
Lancashire seaside towns like, Southport, Lytham and Blackpool flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The seaside mobile photographers had a huge business taking snaps of holiday makers and providing the prints as postcards whilst the family were staying in the resort.
These photos were then also sent home to relatives.
One such postcard was sent in the 1920’s/30s to Mr & Mrs Edge of Windy Nook, Altys Lane.
The family enjoying a brisk walk along the Prom look dressed for winter weather but seem happy enough to smile for the photographer.
The names of the group are listed on the reverse, left to right, ‘Uncle George, Mother; Mrs Redmond, M. Redmond, Dad AND Aunt Emily.’
Another example is a postcard photo of Lizzie, Dandy and Marjory Prescott of Holmeswood who had professional photos taken by the Parisian Studios, Church Street, Liverpool, the sisters look as though they may be on a day out on Southport Marine Lake but it could just as easily be in the photographers studio.
There was a young lady living in Wigan Road in the early 1900s who appears to have a real passion for collecting postcards of celebrated actors and actresses.
Miss Howarth lived at 96 Wigan Road, several of her collection has been sold through auction sites.
Postcards were sent for Christmas greetings, the subject of the photo on the front wasn’t always seasonally appropriate; a postcard with an image of the Bank of England was posted as a Christmas Greetings card in 1907 from Ormskirk to Newbury in Berkshire.
The green half-penny postage stamp appeared to be the right sum for postage.
Whilst the sending of postcards from holidays and as a generally quick and cheap way to communicate seems to have become outdated, there is still value on sending postcards if they are to turn up a century later and shed light on our lives.
The problem in Ormskirk now is that there are no pictorial postcards gen- erally on sale in the town.
The Family History society sells a small selection at their help desk in the library but that is still not up and running as it used to be.