19/7/35
Rain cut short my activities to-day. I covered about 16 miles of the site of the wall (there is no wall visible or scarcely any) when rain came on about 3.30p.m. I spent a long time over tea hoping that it would clear up, but returned to Carlisle [....] at 6.0pm. Reg.
Reg seems to be having a rather disappointing time whilst touring Hadrian's Wall (in the rain) and finds himself back in Carlisle for the evening. He has chosen one of the rarer postcard views of the city, the 'new' bridge over the River Eden. It's hard to find postcards with this view these days as most concentrate on Carlisle's tourist hotspots in town, but at one time the Memorial Bridge was a sight, well used by those paying their respects at the cenotaph.
The suspension bridge joins Rickerby Park on the north side with Stoneyholme golf course on the south. It was built after the First World War when the park was dedicated as a memorial to the fallen. It provides pedestrian access from St Aidan's Road to the park and the war memorial and it was officially opened on 25th May 1922. The Memorial Bridge now forms part of the Walton-Carlisle Hadrian's Wall Walk and Reg may very well have taken this route back into town.
My own memories of the 'spenny' bridge are from 1980s summer holidays when we used to spend time along the river between this and Eden Bridge; jumping off the centre of the spenny bridge into the river was a real test of nerve. I certainly wouldn't do it now!
Postcard info:
Publisher: Unknown
Postmark: 19th July 1935
