To Master M. Macdonald, 17 Portland Square, Carlisle (1909)...

Dear Malcolm,

Many thanks to you and Ian for photos, they were very good. I hope you had a jolly Xmas and that you will all have a very happy New Year. tell Ian I will send him a P.C. soon I shall be very pleased to see James, Ian and yourself. Any time after next Monday. I will be away from home till then. love to all from Jeannie

Hope you are all well.

A Christmas and New Year greeting, sent from Dalston to Carlisle in December 1909. A search of the 1911 census tells me that the recipient, Malcolm Macdonald, was born in 1898, the son of Dr James Macdonald. He, and his other son, Ian, born in 1901, are also mentioned in the greetings.

Published by W R & S Ltd (Reliable Series 187/8)

Postmarked: December 1909

To Mrs L. Ansell, 73 Foundry Rd, Yapton, Arundel, Sussex (1964)...

Dear Pat & Jan.

 Just to let you know that we are on our way home, I am writing this at Burnley on Friday. We have had a fairly good journey except for a few showers today.

Hope all are well. Love Mum & Dad.

A view that's little changed since this postcard was sent almost 50 years ago, although many of the businesses have changed hands since then. It's a reminder that Botchergate, now lined with pubs and clubs, was once a thriving shopping street with awnings lining the road as far as the eye can see. At the top of the street both The Cumberland Tailors and the Midland Bank (where I had my first bank account) are now both bars, Bar Solo and The Griffin (named after their predecessor's famous logo). The Red Lion Hotel is now the County Hotel and you can just make out the Army Recruiting Office (below the hotel's flagpole). In the centre, a mainstay of so many 1960s images, the ubiquitous Morris Minor!

Published by Millar & Lang Ltd., Glasgow

Postmarked: Rochdale, 7th August 1965

To Mr. W. S. Macdonald, 2nd Lieut, Ward E4, Worsley Hall Hospital, Nr. Manchester (1915)...

27/4/15

Got your cheery wire for which many thanks. I believe it is now in the hands of Mrs Welsh as a souvenir. Hope you call at Clifford St when on leave. Goodbye, with the best of luck. Your "old" pal Hip.

Next year sees the starts of a four year commemoration of the First World War, which will be marked by hundreds of events all across the country, up to 2018. I'm planning on digging out some postcards from the era too and I'm hoping to mark next year's anniversary with a particular bit of research I've been undertaking over the past few months.

For now, I chose this postcard at random for the latest post and it turns out to be the first I have that relates to the war. The view shows the Castle, itself a place not immune to conflict, one of the city's most popular and prominent tourist attractions. It was sent in April 1915 to 2nd Lieutenant W. S. Macdonald who was a patient (I presume) at Worsley Hall in Manchester. The hall, a Victorian stately home built for the 1st Earl of Ellesmere, was taken over for use a hospital during the war. Sadly, I have no further information on the fate of Mr. Macdonald, but if you do please leave a comment below.

The message is upbeat, despite the context, but I always feel a certain pathos when I read 'good luck' messages on cards from this era. The writer surely knows that he may not see his "old" pal again.

Lochinvar Series

Postmarked: 28th April 1915

Destination Carlisle...

M.CASTELYNN

55 AMBERLEY WAY

ROMFORD

ESSEX

RM7 8BT

Another competition entry postcard (by the 1980s it seems we'd lost the art of correspondence altogether), but I've chosen it for today's post as it's a rare self-published advertising postcard showing the Swallow Hilltop Hotel, once the epitome of luxury.

News came this week that businessmen Simon Harrison and Robin Graham have delayed their opening of the new boutique hotel, The Halston, while they demolish the newly acquired eyesore that was once the Lonsdale Cinema, and convert it into a car park. It's an ignominious end for a building that was an integral part of many of our childhoods. I was one of many who thought that the Lonsdale was worth saving, either as a cinema, a theatre, a music venue or similar but even I'll now admit that after years of decay, this is now the best thing for it. What is really disappointing is that the site will become a car park, which will certainly pay back Messrs. Harrison and Graham for their outlay in acquiring the site at auction, but is a sign of the lack of investment and forward thinking which Carlisle so desperately needs.

Don't get me wrong, I applaud Harrison and Graham for having the vision to make swingeing changes to the city, and we need more like them, who are ready to put their hands in their pockets and regenerate the sites that have fallen into disrepair, but they admit that they bought the site due to it's proximity to their hotel and the detrimental effect it would have on their business. The car park option is a quick fix and it's just a shame some other like-minded businessmen didn't snap it up to create something a little more inspiring.

Back to the matter at hand.... this is the second hotel themed postcard I've blogged recently and whilst I was reading about the plans for The Halston it struck me that Carlisle is now awash with places to stay. It's always been a city for tourists, but I do wonder nowadays who the clientele are. I stay in hotels whenever I come home, and The Halston will be the third to open in the last ten years (after the Travelodge on Cecil Street, and the Ibis on Botchergate). Much has been said about Carlisle becoming a 'destination' but there's very little in the city itself that now warrants more than a day out. I expect the target audience are those using the city as a starting point for discovering The Lakes, the Borders or the sites along Hadrian's Wall. But I have to admit that the number of hotels in the city now seems a little over-enthusiastic considering what we have on offer. I shall continue to bleat on about an arts venue until someone puts their hands in their pockets, or I win big on the Euromillions.

The Swallow Hilltop Hotel is one of the many that are still soldiering on. When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s this, along with the Crown and Mitre in the city centre, were what we considered to be the luxury places to stay. Not that we ever did , of course (the only time I ever set foot in the place was for a record fair in the conference suite). The Swallow's reputation as the "Ritz" of the city was cemented in my mind when Kylie Minogue stayed there in the 1990s. It's location, out of the centre on London Road, always made it feel somewhat exclusive, and this 1980s multiview postcard shows some of that star treatment: a spa, a swimming pool and a couple of swanky bars. I'm afraid that this was probably it's heyday and reviews on Trip Advisor suggest it has lost most of it's charm these days. With new hotels opening I can only see stalwarts like the Swallow Hilltop fading away, and I doubt there'll be a campaign to save it.

Publisher: unknown

Postmark: illegible

To Master E. Macdonald, 17 Portland Squ, Carlisle (1905)

A small selection for your collection.

This week I saw a report about the multi-millionaire Paul Lister's plans to reintroduce bears and wolves onto a vast swathe of Scottish countryside, specially adapted for the purpose. I rather like the idea myself, but it put me in mind of a fantastical story from Carlisle's past - the mystery of the Allendale wolf.

Over 100 years ago, in the winter of 1904/05 tales of a mystery beast terrorising townsfolk and attacking livestock were rife across the fields and woodland surrounding Hexham in Northumberland. For a month, in December 1904, stories abound of a wolf on the loose in the Allendale area, with numerous reported sightings and many more gruesome discoveries of slaughtered sheep. Local newspapermen filled their columns with bloody tales of mutilation and the hunt for this elusive and mysterious beast.

The wolf was thought to be an escapee from the home of Captain Bain of Shotley Bridge who reported a cub missing three months earlier, however, at the time of the disappearance local news insisted that the animal was of no threat to either livestock or human. By December things were looking very different and by Christmas 1904 the legend of the Allendale wolf was born. Each report of a new sighting or a newly mutilated corpse was met with an ever-growing party of hunters, sometimes 100-200 strong, scouring the countryside to put a stop to the slaughter. The wolf evaded every one, and slowly but surely he began to assume a mystical status... folk songs were written and stories were told of a creature not of this earth but from the realms of fantasy and horror. Each new sighting was eagerly relayed in the Hexham Courant to the increasingly frenzied local population, and the story of the Allendale wolf spread wide; expert trackers, including a celebrated Indian game hunter, Mr W Briddick, were enlisted, but still the wolf roamed free. 

But not for long. Carlisle's place in the story of the Allendale wolf was cemented at the end of December 1904 when a Midland Express train to Scotland collided with a beast near Cumwhinton. This macabre postcard, published by the local firm of James Beaty & Sons (with a photo by Carlisle photographer F. W. Tassell) tells the whole story, including the animal's violent end. The wolf was severed in two but was 'skilfully joined together' for this grotesque posed shot. There are a number of postcards depicting the wolf's demise, many simply a photo of the dead animal lying on a wooden board, but here they've surrounded the corpse with pictorial recreations of his exploits - there are the hunters tracking their prey, the wolf himself devouring a sheep and, of course, the moment when he meets his untimely end.

Was this the end? As with all good folk tales the discovery of the "famous Allendale wolf" only fuelled the speculation and the theories and stories live on to this day. More sightings of a 'wolf' were reported during January 1905, and yet more mutilated livestock were found. Even the London-based newspaper, The Bystander, ran a story suggesting the wolf was still on the loose, a suggestion aided by the reluctance of Captain Bain to accept that the animal killed at Cumwhinton was the same that he lost some months earlier. Whether to avoid blame or calls from compensation from the farmers affected, he resolutely denied that this was the same animal, being so much larger and fully-grown than that which he lost. This denial, along with more apparent sightings and the refusal by many to accept that the wolf had travelled such a distance (30 miles) into unknown territory, simply added to the excitement that the wolf was still at large. By the time this postcard was sent in February 1905 the tale of the Allendale wolf was consigned to history. 

Who knows from whence it came and whether, indeed, the wolf pictured here is the beast that stalked the woodlands of Allendale over 100 years ago. The mystery remains.

Published by James Beaty & Sons, Carlisle (Northern Series)

Postmarked: Carlisle, 10th February 1905

To Miss E. Middleton, Alma Terrace, Selby, Yorkshire (1910)

2 Thirlmere St, Currock, Carlisle

Dear F. Just arrived in C. after a most lovely sail which I enjoyed right well. I found them all in the pink at home! they all wish to be remembered to you. Willie & I are just off out for a walk so I shall be allright [?][?][?] J.J. shall probably call & see Mary tonight.

Yours [?] Jack

Here's a great real photographic postcard, posted in 1910, which seems about right for the image too. This is one of the first sights for most visitors to Carlisle, standing directly outside the railway station. Confusingly, 100 years ago this was the County Hotel, however, that name now applies to another hotel a few yards to the left of this picture, at the top of Botchergate. 

The hotel pictured here is still in use and is now part of the Hallmark chain, but, apart from the name change very little has altered in this view over the last century. Sure, the horse-drawn carriages have been replaced, but the buildings remain remarkably intact, the central archway leading to Collier Lane is still in use and, on the far left you can see the edge of the former Midland bank (now The Griffin pub).

I'd be interested to know more about the hotel itself, when it was built and any history surrounding the buildings, so please leave a comment below if you have any information.

Published by W. R. & S 

Reliable Series 187/29

Postmarked: Carlisle, 13th September 1910

To Consort / The Asda Magasine, PO Box 144, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 1AX (1997)

CARD NUMBER 6330 1174 4000 5127

MRS V BELL

13 WATER GARTH

BARROW-IN-FURNESS

CUMBRIA LA14 3YL

From a deltiologist's point of view, I find this postcard rather sad. It is the newest postcard I have in my Carlisle collection and, to me, it epitomises the 'death of the postcard'. The idea of sending a greeting has given way to a faceless competition entry. This was a common use for postcards as we approached the end of the 20th century and the medium has gone from boom to almost bust.... but they aren't dead yet and I'm pleased to report that sites like Postcrossing and DIY postcard apps such as Touchnote are keeping the tradition going.

Most of my postcards come from auction sites or fairs, and they do tend to be early 1900s. I would be really really interested in receiving any cards from Carlisle which cover the 1970s to the present day. Their value is usually nothing, but to me they're an important omission from my collection as they fill in the gaps and bring me up-to-date. If you're ever having a clear out don't throw those postcards away, get in touch and send them my way!

The postcard itself was posted in 1997, but this picture goes back a bit further than that. Over on the right you can see the Scotch Street shops before The Lanes shopping centre was built, which dates this to pre-1986, but the flares are the biggest giveaway. The statue is that of James Steel, who was a newspaper editor, later councillor and Mayor of Carlisle in 1845 and

1846. The statue, by sculptor William Frederick Woodington is a Listed Building and was moved from this location to the top of Bank Street in 1989, sadly not without injury - his right hand was severed in transit. 

Published by Photo Precision Limited, St Ives

Colourmaster International series (LK2204)

Postmarked: South Lakes, 1- January 1997

To Miss Lonsdale, Rose Hill, Carlisle (1903)

I saw Mr Manchester to-day He says he will come out tomorrow afternoon if you will let him know what time you could see him. The ladies room is not done yet, but will be so, before you have to pay your next visit A.L.

This is a quite fantastic, and rare, map card from 1903 showing Carlisle's eastern outlying villages extending all the way into Northumberland, with some wonderful details. I've mentioned previously (in this post) about Carlisle's claim as the largest city in the England, and in this card you can see all the way from Longtown in the north to the city's most easterly point, Gilsland, which also serves as the boundary between Cumbria and Nothumberland.

Published by John Walker & Co. Ltd.

No.192 Geographical Series

Engraved by J. Bartholomew & Co.

Postmarked 6th May 1903

To Mr & Mrs Bell, 11 Wavertree Road, South Woodford, London E18 (1966)

Everything OK. We had a pleasant, steady journey + arrived 6.30. All well here + enquiring for you. Sunshine wonderful, so we lap it up 'doon the watter!'

Love to all J.

A classic multiview here, showing English Street, Botchergate, the Citadel, the Cathedral and the Castle.

Published by Millar & Lang Ltd., Glasgow

Postmarked: Longtown, May 1966

To Mrs Wilson, Imperial Buildings, 32 Seagate, Dundee (1904)

Mrs Wilson, Yours to hand what are yours [?] for small [?][?] for wife & self. I stayed with you when I was in Dundee with [?]. Hoping you are keeping alright.

I am yours etc. Fred Skinner

This is a superb postcard from the early 20th century showing the Carlisle Fair, which I was minded to post as the resurrected fair is now taking place (renamed the Carlisle Pageant). The city was first granted a Royal Charter to hold a Great Fair in the summer of 1158, when market stallholders set up shop to sell fruit and vegetables, meat, leather, wool and cloth. In 1352 Edward III then granted the city the right to host the fair annually and the tradition has held ever since. 

Over the years the fair, or pageant has included, in addition to the market, a procession or re-enactment of historical events, and during the 1970s and 1980s I remember the fantastic procession of floats that made their way from Bitts Park into the town centre. In recent years the fair was scaled down, although an international food fair took its place, with traders selling their wares in the town centre, as they have done for centuries. This year the pageant was reinvigorated with a week long series of events, including a puppet parade and talks and exhibitions in venues across the city.

This postcard shows the Carlisle Fair around 1904 - it may not be the Great Fair itself - and it's a lively scene. This picture was taken on The Sands, and the Turf Tavern can be seen in the background. The detail is tremendous, and whilst there has been a little Edwardian 'photoshopping' going on, you can still make out faces and attractions. I especially like the chap in the bowler hat posing for the photo on the extreme left.

Published by Lochinvar (N & C Series)

Postmarked: Aberdeen 21st September 1904

To Monsieur A. Chéré, 23 rue Steffen, Arnieres, France (1912)

Mon cher Alfonse, 
M. et Mme Adam seront à Paris vendredi soir à 7h. mlle Rainaud vient d'en être avisée par une lettre du Sieur Bluté, auquel les Adam ont envoyé seulement une dépêche pour le prévenir de leur départ et le prier de vouloir bien faire retenir leur appartement à l'hôtel de la gare St Lazare.
Nous n'avons pas d'autres explications. Peut-être une lettre viendra-t-elle ce soir ? En tous cas puisqu'il vivait à Paris si près de vous, je pense qu'il y aura entente pour le reste de l'arrangement de leur séjour. A par la lettre reçue de Mme Adam ce soir, nous n'avons reçu que des dépêches en réponse à nos lettre explicatives, donc je ne sais pas la cause de leur voyage précipité. C'est vous qui en [saurez plus ?]
Bien à vous,Louis

My Dear Alfonse, Mr and Mrs Adam will be in Paris Friday evening at 7pm. Miss Rainaud has been notified of it by a letter of old Bluté to whom the Adams have sent only a telegram to notify him of their departure and to request to book their apartment at the St Lazare Station Hotel. We don't have any more explanation perhaps a letter will arrive this evening? In any case they will be in Paris near you. I think that you will see them and there will have an understanding of the rest of the arrangements of their stay. Aside from the first letter received of Mrs Adam we only have received telegrams in answer to our letters of explanation. Well, I don't know the cause of their hasty journey. It is you that will have this information. Kisses, Louis.

A generic view of the castle here, published by Valentine's, but the mystery (for me at least) lies in the message - is there anyone out there who'd care to take a stab at deciphering this handwriting and translating this message?

Thanks to everyone who sent me translation for this message, which I have now added, above.

Published by Valentine's

Postmarked: Carlise, 24th January 1912

To Miss R. J. Musgrove, c/o Mrs Thornburn, The Louin, Marlborough Gds, Stanwix, Carlisle...

Dear Ruth I now send you PC as asked for don't you wish you were here I think you might come out by two train on sunday twenty nineth seeing that it will be the last sunday all is very quiet here I got home safely on sunday night about eleven thirty five pm had company all the way to warwick bridge. have you been locked out any more see what is under the stamp

My favourite quiz question is... what's the largest city in England by area? The answer: Carlisle. I've hosted a few pub quizzes in my time and that one gets them every time (unless I'm in Carlisle, in which case everyone knows).

I share this tidbit with you because this card shows a chocolate box view of one of the city's outlying villages, Wetheral, which is in Carlisle. I have only a few cards from rural Carlisle, but it's an area I want to explore more. I've chosen this postcard for April Fool's Day as it has a coded message, too.

The card is a painting by a local artist, Thomas Bushby. The 'chocolate box' analogy is very apt as Bushby came to Carlisle in 1884 to work as a designer for Hudson Scott & Sons (aka the Metal Box) and his work adorned Victorian biscuit tins a-plenty. Carlisle's superb Tullie House museum also holds a great collection of his art work. This painting of Holly Cottage is signed and dated 1907, the year in which it was posted.

Wetheral today is still a picture postcard village, with village green, pub, shop, tea room etc. There are some great walks to be had in the surrounding Wetheral woods, and the railway station, perched precariously high above the River Eden, with the adjacent Corby Bridge is well worth a visit for the superb views.

This postcard has been written in a simple code, with backwards handwriting, and a mirror is required to read it comfortably. Writing in codes such as this was fairly common at the time, but they rarely included anything particularly juicy in the gossip stakes! Here the message is a fairly normal one of greeting, but I can't help but marvel at the neatness of the handwriting. There's some skill involved here!

What I'd like to know is..... what's underneath the stamp?!

Publisher: Chas. Thurnam & Sons, English Street, Carlisle

No. 1 in the CUMBERLAND COTTAGES series

Printed by Hudson Scott & Sons, Ltd., Carlisle

Postmarked: 8th September 1907

To A. Mackenzie, Esq. The Lindens, Market Drayton, Shropshire (1934)...

Eskvale, Longtown 29/5/34

The weather has been cold until to-day; it is now certainly warmer. You will know this bridge very well - 'the Gateway to Scotland'. You would have a busy time last week.

Cheerio!

Very kind regards to you all

I've been prompted to post this particular postcard today after reading that the Eden Bridge Gardens have been vandalised and daubed with graffiti and somewhat contradictory symbols of Nazism and anarchy. It's highly unlikely that those who were bored enough to do this have any idea of the meaning of their scribbling, let alone the history of the gardens.

The card above is the earliest I have in my collection which shows the gardens. The photo was clearly taken just after completion as there is very little to see in the way of foliage or decoration. It was sent in May 1934, five months after the gardens were officially opened by the Mayor of Carlisle, E.B. Gray, on 21st December 1933. 

Eden Bridge Terrace

In 1932 a scheme to widen the existing bridge over the Eden, known by all (and this sender) as "The Gateway to Scotland" was finally, after over 10 years, completed.  Where the gardens stand today there was a row of terraced houses, Eden Bridge Terrace, which were demolished to make way for the new, wider bridge and in their place the council decided upon a grand entrance to Rickerby Park, designed by Edward Prentice Mawson and executed by Percy Dalton. The workforce was made up of local unemployed men and much of the materials were recycled from the old bridge and the houses which once stood on the same spot. There's a fantastic description of the site from the original report which you can read here. I have spent many a contemplative hour or two here but I didn't know that one of the buildings was once a rest room for those unfortunate to be caught out in the rain, or that the other was a 'retiring room for ladies only'. I've always thought this was one of the city's best kept secrets, this place of solitude so close to thousands of passers-by each day and yet so far away from the rush.

One of the mysteries of these gardens is the name itself - originally they were called simply the 'Eden Bridge Gardens'. Over time they came to be known to locals as the Italian Gardens, due to their Italianate style, a regular feature of Mawson's designs. Less obvious is how, by the time I was playing there in the 1970s and 1980s, they had become known as the Chinese Gardens - there is nothing Chinese about them! 

It's ironic that these gardens should be daubed with Swastikas now, opened, as they were, in 1933, the year of the Reichstag fire and the year that Hitler began his rise to power.  It's telling that the unemployed men who laid the paving stones and erected the pergolas chose to use their time to create this space for others to enjoy, whilst those in a similar position today appear to have chosen to destroy it. A sign of the times?

Postcard info

Publisher: Valentine's

Postmark: 30th May 1934

To R.J.B. Webster Esq., 117 Fellowes Road, Swiss Cottage, London, NW3 (1938)...

This is where Queen Mary was caught by crafty Elizabeth after she had been staying with the Curwens (Mrs Goldie's people) at Workington, according to the guidebooks - very thrilling to me, as the Goldie's still have the Queen's little work basket she left behind.

Hope all goes well with you, Love [?]

Carlisle Castle has stood proud in the city for over 900 years and has seen its share of visitors - welcome and not-so-welcome. This is an interesting real photo postcard from the 1930s which has a view from inside the castle walls (most postcards of this subject are taken from the more obvious south facing side). 

The card recalls one of the city's most famous visitors, Mary Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned at the castle on the orders of Elizabeth I. Mary had returned to Scotland (from France) in 1561 and during the next seven years she fought to hold her position as Queen of the Scots. After her marriage to Lord Darnley and his subsequent murder, in 1567, she was hurriedly (and doubtless unwillingly) married to Lord Bothwell, the man accused of her husband's murder. Their Protestant union went unrecognised by Catholic nobility and even the Protestants were dismayed at her quick work so soon after her husband's death. They were eventually hunted down by a coven of peers - Bothwell was sent into exile whilst Mary found herself imprisoned at Loch Leven Castle.

On May 2nd 1568 Mary escaped from Loch Leven and raised an army to defend herself against the opposing forces of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray. She was defeated and she fled south to England, crossing the Solway Firth in a fishing boat. Her final night of freedom was spent at Workington Hall, an honoured guest of the Curwen family. It was from there that she wrote to Elizabeth, hopeful that the English queen would support her in her attempt to regain the Scottish throne. But, after Darnley's murder (which some had attributed to Mary) Elizabeth was cautious. She ordered Mary to be taken to Carlisle Castle and held whilst she launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Darnley's death and Mary's subsequent conduct.

Mary spent only a few months imprisoned at Carlisle Castle. The ruins of the building where she stayed (known as Mary's Tower) can still be seen, and the section of the city wall on the east side of the castle is still known as Lady's Walk as this is where she is said to have spent her days, idling. In July 1568 Mary was moved to Bolton Castle to distance her from the Scottish border - she would spend the next 18 years in captivity, moved from castle to castle, before her execution at Fotheringay in 1586.

Mary's connection to the area still lives on today. Her communion cup, known as 'The Luck of Workington' (above), was gifted to the Curwen family in 1568 and was returned to the town in 2012. It is held in the collection of the Helena Thompson Museum adjacent to the hall where Mary spent her last night of freedom. 

The reference to the 'Goldie' family relates to the family who married into the Curwens in the early 19th century and who still live in the area today. But what of the Queen's work basket? According to this correspondent this historical artefact was still in the Goldie family in 1938... but I can't find out where it is now?

Postcard info:

Publisher: unknown

Postmark: 10th February 1938