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 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

Don't tell anybody you got this...

I've been collecting Carlisle postcards for a few years now and I don't have any specific criteria for choosing what to buy and what not to buy - except the obvious: cards have to be used, and posted from Carlisle.

Whilst the photos provide interest, there's always going to be a finite number of views to see. It's the messages that intrigue me more, the written word of someone who passed through or lived in the city holds stories, secrets, inanities. One can only imagine how the recipient felt to receive a note from a loved one, a family member, a friend.

Some messages are banal, most are entertaining whilst a few others are just plain mysterious. Today's card is the latter....

I picked this one up from Ebay; posted in September 1902, it's one of the earliest cards I have in my collection, and the only one with this view.

This is English Street at the turn of the 20th century. Very nice photo of a tram in the centre (advertising "James" Cycles - read more about the company on this wonderful blogpost at OldBike) and you can see J. Gibson's shop on the right. Is that a police constable standing right in the centre of the picture, too? Or just a fellow with hat on?

The message is an intrigue. It's more interesting for what it doesn't say than what it does.... simply:

"Don't tell anybody you got this".

That's it. There's no name, signature, or initials of any sort. The recipient is  Miss McGowan, Royal Restaurant... where? I can't make out the lettering for the final destination either but the Royal must've been fairly well-known for the card to have got there.*

So, who is he? A clandestine lover, a young suitor, a man on the run? We'll never know. This 110 year old mystery remains as enigmatic now as when the postcard was first sent.

*Thanks to the commentators, and some sleuthing Twitter users, it's been suggested that the lettering on the address side is "Dfs" and this likely stands for Dumfries. This seems very likely, being so close to Carlisle. A quick Google search indicates that there was a Royal Dumfries Restaurant there (in 1924 at least). So, now to find Miss McGowan....

To Mr & Mrs Parris, Station House, Catford Bridge, London, SE6 (1935)

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

To Mr & Mrs Battle, 380 Blandford Road, Efford, Plymouth, Devon (1965)...

Dear Mrs Battle and family,

Having a nice time here, but wet weather now. Hope you had a nice time in Ireland.

Cheerio, Mr & Mrs Williams

PS HOW'S JULIE?

Any city will, naturally, change with the times, new buildings will emerge in place of old and so-called 'modernisation' will take place. Carlisle has had it's fair share of this with many of it's older buildings and streets 'updated' or demolished but, despite some doom-laden accounts of the city's descent into 21st century homogenisation, the city still teems with history. Probably the most recognisable change that has taken place over the last century was the building of The Lanes Shopping Centre in 1984 (and the later expansion) but a close second are the massive changes made to the town centre around the same time.

The pedestrianisation of Carlisle city centre is possibly the largest and most dramatic change to the landscape of the city in my lifetime. Although I'm a nostalgic at heart I'm old enough to remember dodging the buses on English Street and the city centre shops being choked up with exhaust fumes. In this card, from 1965, you can see just how busy it could get, with the historic Guildhall and Town Hall looking out onto a glorified bus station! Bring back the Routemasters...but don't let them into the town centre again!

Also in the picture you can see the entrances to the Victorian subterranean toilets, something which is sadly missing, not just in Carlisle but across the country: public lavatories. I'm led to believe these toilets are still in existence but now bricked in - wouldn't it be great if they could be opened up again? There is some criticism that Carlisle has descended into a 'clone town' and the pedestrianistion seems to be the start of a slippery slope to many, but I believe that high rents and lack of local shops is responsible, not the paving. The town centre is now much more open and much more likely to be a place for shoppers and diners to stay rather than just a junction of three or four busy thoroughfares and is so much nicer for it.

One more thing... who is that schoolboy and where is he running to? Or is he being chased by that copper?

Postcard info:

Publisher: Valentine and Sons Ltd., Dundee & London

Postmark: 28th July 1965

To Mr. E. Simpson, 81 Carshalton Pk Rd, Carshalton, Surrey (1939)...

109 Warwick Road, Carlisle, 15th Nov '39

Dear Ted, I hope you are not putting your staff through the mill or toiling as hard as we are here. Don't you wish you were here: In the picture, the large white building on the right is a palatial pub 'The Crescent Inn'. Next door is the P.O. What more could you wish. Our digs are out of sight on the other side. We are in the real pukka residential district. Billeted Captains and Majors are as sands on the sea-shore. As you may have learned, we have a P.O. technical advisor staying with us but I am afraid that, owing to war-time, his lips are sealed about many interesting matters. All the best, yours sincerely, Bernard. Hope to see you at Christmas."

Here's a stately view that hasn't changed much in 70 years, although most of these buildings still stand they serve a different purpose in 2010. On the right, where Bernard describes The Crescent Inn, there is still a pub but the Post Office building has now closed down waiting further use, and next to that is the Lonsdale cinema, now shamefully derelict, which opened in 1931 and would've been an ABC at the time the card was sent. I'm guessing that Bernard was posted here (no pun intended) to work for the Post Office as there's a theme running through his message. I especially like his description of the Warwick Road area residential district as 'pukka'... this area is still teeming with guest-houses.

What's great about this card is the details of the businesses, all now gone.. on the left is the imposing North British Mercantile Insurance Co. Ltd. with McGrath's shoe shop underneath, next door to Robson's Cooked Meats and a hairdresser. Opposite you can see Messenger's newsagent and the Carlisle Dyers and Cleaners. Right on the corner is the HMV sign - can anyone remember this music shop, or indeed any memories of Warwick Road in the 30s? In the background, standing above the area is the tower of St George's Church... but what happened to the four spires, I'm sure they are no longer existing...?

To Miss Eva Bell, The Post Office, Torpenhow, Aspatria... (1906)

Every town and village in the country surely has it's own fair share of local characters, real or imagined. Carlisle is no different and one of our most colourful folk heroes is Jimmy Dyer, 'The Cumberland Bard' who, in the late Victorian times and up to his death in 1903, could be seen on the streets of the city (and others across the county) entertaining passers-by. Jimmy was a regular at festivals, race meetings and the like with his fiddle, his Gladstone bag stuffed with copies of his own verses (which he would sell to those enchanted by them) and his tatty clothes. This itinerant troubadour (or busker, depending on your point of view) was a well-known sight on the streets of Carlisle, an ex-sailor who had numerous run-ins with local magistrates but who, nevertheless, became something of a cult figure. He was such a local celebrity that this card (and others) were issued to commemorate his life and in 1986, at the opening of The Lanes shopping centre, a statue of Jimmy by sculptor Judith Bluck was unveiled. It remains in the city to this day, now outside the new Debenhams department store. This card is based on a photograph by J. Robson and was published by the local firm Nicholson & Cartner. The verse reads

"By Road an River, Country Side and Town, I wander over With my Fiddle brown"

The card itself was posted from Caldbeck in May 1906 and reflects the huge popularity of the postcard at the time. Annie writes to Eva of her collection of almost three hundred postcards and expresses a penchant for those of actresses which were extremely popular at the time. Both sides of the card prove that 'celebrity' certainly isn't a 21st century craze.

If you have any further info about Jimmy Dyer, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

to Miss Emma Atkinson, Kirkbarrow, Tirril, Penrith (1905)

Historic Carlisle, (as it is marketed, appropriately, by the City Council) has a wealth of sights for the visitor and local alike. There are the obvious historic sites such as the Castle and Cathedral, and the nearby Hadrian's Wall. Much of Carlisle's history is represented in the excellent, award-winning Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery which sits across from the Castle on the site of the original Tullie House (built 1689) with newer buildings added to expand the scope and reach of the collection in the 1990s and again in the new century.

I remember well school trips and family outings to the museum in the 1970s and 1980s. I was especially amazed by the stuffed animals and the Roman artefacts. It was at this time, before the new shopping centre had been built in The Lanes, that we also used to visit the library which was housed adjacent to the museum. The library is commemorated in this card from October 1905 showing the ornate entrance to the building, which is still as it is today (the displays may have changed since then!) I'm surprised that I don't have more cards of the musuem and art gallery in my collection as along with the aforementioned castle and cathedral, Tullie House is one of the most interesting sights in the city.

Tullie House was established in 1893 as a museum and continues to be one of the best in the NorthWest. For more info you can visit their superb website: www.tulliehouse.co.uk.

*If anyone can identify any of the works, statues or busts shown in the card I will add them to this post. Thanks.

To Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson, Haber Green, Kirkby Stephen (1905)

Now that we are getting used to the new Prime Minister and the unholy alliance of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats I thought I'd step back 105 years to this card showing Morton House, the home of Carlisle's then Liberal Member of Parliament, Frederick Chance.

The house is now Morton Community Centre but has an interesting history; built in the early 1800s it was first owned by the Forster family bankers in the city. When the family went bankrupt in 1837 it was bought by John Studholme before coming into the hands of the Ferguson family in 1853. The Fergusons have a log history with the city of Carlisle and it was Joseph, a textile manufacturer at Holme Head who bought the property. The first signs of the house's political history can be found in the 1871 census that records that Joseph's son, Robert Ferguson, then resided in the property. Robert was a Member of Parliament for Carlisle and there is a school in Denton Holme which still bears his name. Frederick Chance first became a managing partner at the Ferguson's textile business before moving into Morton House himself. In 1904 he was elected to Mayor of Carlisle and the following year he took his place as Member of Parliament for Carlisle, representing the Liberal Party. This card, posted in December 1905, commemorates his position.

Can you imagine such a postcard nowadays...? Who would really want to send a card showing the home of Carlisle's newest MP, John Stevenson?