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?

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