To The Manager and Staff of WH Smith & Son, Bradford (1957)

Dear All, Well I'm still surviving despite the "barbaric" north. Actually things are going OK in the record dept, the backlog of work is being cleared slowly but surely. I've got an audit this week - just to add a bit of variety.

All the best for Easter, Leslie.

PS How do you like the photo of my digs?

A little slice of WHSmith history this time, with this card sent to the Bradford branch from Leslie, who was helping out up in Carlisle. I'm sure that the Carlisle branch has been around for much longer than 52 years so perhaps they were expanding? Leslie, where are you now...? Any comments are welcome. WHSmith still stands in the same spot on English Street and has recently, controversially, take over the duties of the Post Office, whose grand main building on Warwick Road has now closed down.

It's interesting to remember that WHSmith was once a record shop. These days, with the demise of Virgin / Zavvi there's only HMV left as a high street retailer for music, with it's Carlisle branch in The Lanes shopping centre. In some of our bigger cities there are still some independent record shops doing good business, but times are changing. I remember well going into Woolworths for my seven inch singles every Saturday morning at the beginning of the 1980s to spend my pocket money; my first record....Don't Stand So Close To Me by The Police. Then there was WHSmith, Boots and Our Price who had their record departments; for secondhand and collectables it was Vinyl Vaults halfway down Botchergate. When we're talking about record shops in Carlisle we mustn't forget the Pink Panther on Rosemary Lane (and later on Chapel Street). From the late 80s it was the only place I went for my new records and I remember buying up Stock Aitken Waterman records amongst the indie and thrash metal! I was lucky enough to work in the Pink Panther during the 1990s and it was an exciting time. There's now a facebook group for anyone who wants to reminisce about it!

The card itself shows Leslie's digs....or the Citadel as it's better known. These impressive oval towers mark the original site of the Botcher Gate, or English Gate, the entrance to the city from the south. The current layout was based on a design by Thomas Telford and built in 1810-11 and completed by Sir Robert Smirke. They were rebuilt in the 1840s spported by the Earl of Lonsdale, whose statue can be seen in front of the right tower; it still stands there to this day. Until recently the Citadel housed the civil and criminal courts and jail cells.

This is often the first view many visitors see of historic Carlisle, as it stands directly opposite the train station. In the foreground is the busy station car park with a family on their way for a trip, cases in hand. This view has changed little in 50 years, although the car park attendant's hut is no longer there. A final mention must go to the split-screen Morris Minor parked up in the extreme bottom left corner. A classic!

To Miss B. Cook (1947)

As mentioned previously, there are some views that aren't surprising to see on a postcard. Here is one of the thousands of cards published over the years showing Carlisle's famous cathedral. Built in the 1120s the cathedral has been a place for daily worship for over 900 years. As with much of the city the cathedral's history is peppered with stories of conflict and parts of the building have changed extensively over those years. For a full history and information try the excellent cathedral website at http://www.carlislecathedral.org.uk/ This real photo card is typical of the sort of card of the period. Published by E.T.W. Dennis & Sons, one of the 20th century's most prolific postcard manufacturers.

Two of those daily worshippers were Marianne and Geoffrey who stayed in the city in July 1947 and sent this card back to Miss B. Cook of Cottam Grange, Driffield, East Yorkshire. They intimate that they will be attending the service on Sunday. Just two of the thousands who have done so over the past 900 years.

To Norah Thwaites (1909)

I've chosen this as the first card as it's coming up to almost 100 years since it was posted. It's also a good example of how postcards weren't simply used by tourists. This card was sent from Wetheral to Great Corby (which is within walking distance) to let Norah know that her lesson has changed from Wednesday to Thursday. Such minutiae of daily life is what fascinates me about these cards! This is the 1909 equivalent of an email or text message. As always, if anyone has any info about the people and places associated with these cards please post your comments - I'm sure Norah still has relatives in the area today...?

Sent to Miss Norah Thwaites, Post Office, Great Corby, Nr. Wetheral

16th November 1909

The image shows the Carlisle Steam Laundry and Carpet Beating Company buildings, just off Warwick Road by the River Petteril. The buildings on the extreme right are Petteril Terrace and still stand there today. The other buildings have now been replaced by more modern offices. It's an unusual view for a postcard; in fact, over time I've come to learn that Carlisle had many more 'sights' than at first thought. There are, obviously, many postcards of Carlisle's famous Castle, Cathedral and town centre...but other, less common parts of the city have been saved for posterity on the front of postcards. More to come...

Greetings from Carlisle...

For a number of years I've been collecting postcards from home. Home, for me, is Carlisle, Cumbria where I was born and grew up. I started my collection of postcards from Carlisle when I found a box of said cards at a car boot sale. I was intrigued by the idea that there is an ever-growing and neverending historical record of the city in photographs and short messages from those just passing through and those who lived and worked in there. These cards have been sent from Carlisle to all parts of the world and now I'm gathering them back together in one place.

Postcards offer a unique insight into a place and a time. They live beyond their brief moment of 'wish you were here' and narrate a continuous story of the life of a city, it's people, it's visitors and their times. I only collect used cards. To me, an unused postcard is like an unworn jumper or an unplayed record - purposeless and pointless.

Enjoy the cards and the messages.

Craig