Normandy, Surrey, Willey Green c1912

Normandy, Surrey, Willey Green circa 1912. Normandy is a small village in the west of Surrey. In this postcard by W. H. Applebee the publisher has written the caption as Willow Green. The correct name is Willey Green. In the distance we can see the Duke of Normandy pub and before that the store owned by Walter Rolph. On the extreme left is a shop run by Edwin Cranstone. Information for this post has been gathered from the Normandy Historians website. Click the picture to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Thursley, Surrey, The Post Office c1912

Thursley, Surrey, The Post Office circa 1912. Thursley is a small village in Surrey. The view has changed very little, although Thursley no longer has a post office. The post office was run by Henry Spernon Tozer, a very fine artist. He was also a photographer and postcard publisher, it is possible that he took this photograph and had it printed by W. H. Applebee. This card is clearly published by W. H. Applebee, but a printed version exists which states it was published by Tozer. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map
Detail from postcard:

London Bridge, City of London, early 20th Century - Sepia Saturday

London Bridge, City of London, early 20th Century. London Bridge joins the City of London on the north bank to the city of Southwark on the south bank. The London Bridge that you see in these old postcards is the 19th century bridge, designed by John Rennie and built next to the ancient London Bridge and opened in 1831. The ancient bridge was then demolished. At the time of these postcards it was the busiest part of London. It is still very busy today, but the modern Google Street Views make it look relatively quiet. I can assure you it is not. By 1967 this bridge was inadequate for the job and was sold. It now resides in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. A modern replacement for London Bridge was opened in 1973. In the first postcard you can see the view from King William Street looking south towards the bridge and Southwark. The statue is of King William IV and is now in Greenwich. The first postcard is a particularly good one, published by A & G Taylor, so I've scanned it at 300dpi. The rest are at my standard 200dpi. Click the pictures to enlarge!

In the second postcard we can see the location where the first postcard was photographed from. This is what the postcard above would look like today:


View Larger Map

Below, a view of traffic on the bridge from the south bank. In the distance on the right you can see the Tower of London:

Above, a view from the City of London looking south towards Southwark. The church you can see is actually Southwark Cathedral. The building on the far right is Fishmongers Hall.

Below, a view looking north, you can see a paddle steamer on the far bank. The church you can see is the tower of St. Magnus the Martyr. To the right of that is the Monument, one of London's most famous landmarks.

Above, a view from the Monument looking south. you can clearly see the tower of St. Magnus the Martyr right in front of you and Southwark Cathedral across the river. This picture looks like it may have been taken before the bridge was widened in 1902.

Finally, another view from the Southwark side looking north towards the City of London:

View Larger Map

For more old photographs please visit Sepia Saturday.

Cobham, Surrey, The Mill c1912

Cobham, Surrey, The Mill circa 1912. The main part of the mill on the left of the postcard was demolished in 1953. The remaining part is the last surviving working water mill in Surrey. It is owned by The Cobham Mill Preservation Trust. The house in the background is Leigh Place which you can see on this postcard. Postcard published by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

South-West London, Merton Park, Kingston Road Level Crossing c1908

South-West London, Merton Park, Kingston Road Level Crossing circa 1908. The signal box has gone now, giving us an uninterrupted view of the White Hart pub. The railway line shown on the postcard is now used by Tramlink. Tramlink runs on a mixture of street track shared with other traffic, dedicated track in public roads, off-street track and former railway lines. Postcard published by Young & Co of Teddington. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Mortlake, Surrey, The Olde George Public House c1915

Mortlake, Surrey, The Olde George Public House c1915. It is possible that the man in the photograph is the landlord, Hubert Barrett. There is still a pub at 40 High Street Mortlake, a modern pub called the Charlie Butler, named after a Youngs Brewery drayman. Postcard published by Richard Johns of Tooting. Click the pictures to enlarge.

For more old photographs please visit Sepia Saturday.

View Larger Map

Norton St. Philip, Somerset, The George Inn c1910

Norton St Philip, Somerset, The George Inn circa 1910. Situated in Norton St. Philip near Bath, The George Inn is one of the oldest in the country. A grade one listed building, it hasn't changed much in the last hundred years. The little window above the sign has gone though. The landlord at the time of the postcard was Thomas Edgar Dando, born 1877. I think the two men in the doorway are carrying fishing rods. The publisher of this postcard, Young & Co of Teddington has wrongly called it Ye Olde George. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

For more old photographs please visit Sepia Saturday.

View Larger Map

East Ham, London, Central Hall c1914

East Ham, London, Central Hall circa 1914. This huge Methodist church was opened in 1906 and cost £25,000 to build. It could hold 2500 people. It was demolished in 1968, the dwindling congregation could no longer bear the cost of maintaining it. Postcard published by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Chavey Down, Berkshire, Church Road c1912

Chavey Down, Berkshire, Church Road c1912. Chavey Down is a hamlet in Berkshire, between Ascot and Bracknell. There is some information about Chavey Down on David Nash Ford's Royal Berkshire History Website. Postcard published by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Wimbledon, Surrey, Alwyne Road Showing Christ Church (Congregational) c1910

Wimbledon, Surrey, Alwyne Road Showing Christ Church (Congregational) c1910. The church was closed 1978 and was replaced by the buildings you can see on the right in the Google Street View. Postcard by Young & Co of Teddington. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Weybridge, Surrey, The Ship Hotel c1935 - Sepia Saturday

Weybridge, Surrey, The Ship Hotel circa 1935. Weybridge was the closest town to the Brooklands motor racing track and was a very popular destination for motoring types. There is quite a line up of motor cars outside The Ship Hotel, see detailed views below. One of the cars appears to be a road-going racer, complete with an 'on-tow' message on the back. It is not at all clear which vehicle towed it, my guess is that it got to the pub under its own steam. I hope none of the drivers of these cars drove their cars after drinking a few ales, but I think the concept of 'one for the road' was very prevalent in those days. If anyone can identify any of the cars or the motorbike I'd be very grateful. I would have loved to been at the bar when these fellows turned up, I imagine it was quite lively after a days racing at Brooklands. The Ship Hotel is still in business, but looking at the Google Street View it doesn't look quite as much fun today. This postcard was published in the mid 1930s, almost certainly by Charles Mitchell, step-brother of W. H. Applebee. Click on the images to enlarge.

Please visit Sepia Saturday for more old photographs.

View Larger Map

Islay, Port Ellen, Charlotte Street c1904

Islay, Port Ellen, Charlotte Street circa 1904. Islay is one of the Inner Hebridean islands off the west coast of Scotland. Famous for its whisky distilleries, it also boasts beautiful scenery and many bird species. One of my favourite places in the British Isles. This view along Charlotte Street is relatively unchanged. The White Hart Hotel is still in business, I remember drinking far too much whisky in its bar some twenty years ago. If you move the Street View camera around to the left and behind, you can see a tiny petrol station that looks like a toy. The postcard was posted in 1904 and was published by H. F. Scott of Bowmore, Islay. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Problems with Internet Explorer & Site Updates

Internet Explorer Problem - I've just noticed that the embedded Street Views are not displaying properly on Internet Explorer. The Street View is pointing up in the air - you have to tilt the camera downwards manually. However, even doing this means that the image is wider-angled than normal. I have reported this on the Google Street View forum and hopefully it will be resolved soon. Everything works fine with Firefox and Chrome. I haven't tried with Safari, Opera or any other browsers. I'd be interested to know when these problems started appearing and if they affect any other browsers.

Site Update - I've been updating this blog every day since I started it, but at the moment time is particularly precious, so there will be fewer updates from now on. I will try to post at least three times a week. Thank you for your support. As always, comments, questions, suggestions or requests gratefully received.

In the meantime, here's a view of a hairdresser's shop, somewhere in the UK, circa 1910. Alas, no modern Street View because I don't know where the shop was or the name of the proprietor. Click to enlarge.

Windlesham, Surrey, Updown Hill Post Office c1910

Windlesham, Surrey, Updown Hill Post Office circa 1910. Windlesham is a village near Bagshot. In this view we can see the marvellously named Updown Hill and the village post office. It is very good to see the building is still a post office, that must be something of a rarity these days. It is largely unaltered since this picture was taken a hundred years ago except for the obvious side extension. The picture was printed from an older negative that was clearly a little 'tired'. If you look closely you can see an old-fashioned pram outside the post office. The sign on the side of the post office states 'Boots and clothing Estd  1859'. Postcard by W. H. Applebee, from an earlier negative by Young & Co. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Southall, Middlesex, High Street c1910

Southall, Middlesex, High Street circa 1910. The view looks surprisingly similar today. The buildings on the right have gone though. The Red Lion Hotel, a grade II listed building from the late 18th or early 19th century is still in business. Postcard by Young & co of Teddington. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Leatherhead, Surrey, The Crescent c1913

Leatherhead, Surrey, The Crescent circa 1913. The unusual building on the right has survived, but the rest of the scene is not so pretty today. Note the milk cart and the stylish streetlamp. The back of the postcard describes the markings on the front. Postcard by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, c1912 - Sepia Saturday

Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, circa 1912. Fulmer is a village in South Buckinghamshire, close to Gerrards Cross. The buildings on the right have changed somewhat since the photograph was taken, but if you look carefully you can see some similarities - the little window at the pavement level and the gateway. I imagine that it's been a few years since anyone's driven their cattle along the Fulmer Road. Postcard by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge. Please visit Sepia Saturday for more old photos.

View Larger Map

Marlow Bridge, Buckinghamshire c1912

Marlow Bridge, Buckinghamshire circa 1912. Marlow Bridge is a road and pedestrian bridge over the Thames. It was opened in 1832 and is a Grade 1 listed monument. In the distance we can see All Saints Church. Postcard published by W. H. Applebee. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Taplow Village, Buckinghamshire c1911

Taplow Village, Buckinghamshire circa 1911. Taplow is a village between Burnham and Maidenhead. Down the road we can see the marvellously named Oak and Saw pub, thankfully still there. One of those rare postcards where the modern view is just as pretty as it was a hundred years ago. The publisher is a little difficult to determine, the caption on the right saying 'Taplow Village' is classic Young & Co, but on the left there is faded text saying 'WHA 965', so this is likely a Young and Co republished by WHA.

View Larger Map

Norbiton, Surrey, The Market Place c1905

Norbiton, Surrey, The Market Place circa 1905. Norbiton is near Kingston Upon Thames. I can't see where they would have held a market, perhaps in the space to the left now occupied by a car dealership. Postcard by The Collectors' Publishing Co, Ludgate Circus, London EC. Click to enlarge.

View Larger Map

Wandsworth, South West London, Lavender Hill c1911

Wandsworth, South West London, Lavender Hill circa 1911. The unusual thing about this excellent postcard is that you can see the shop-front of the publisher, Sidney Smith. Smith was a prolific publisher of postcards of South-West London. I don't know if he actually took any photographs himself, on the 1911 census he describes himself as a 'stationer and fancy goods dealer'. He certainly used Richard Young of Teddington to take some photographs for his postcards. In the detailed views below you can see Smith's postcard shop, very conveniently located next to a post office. Smith's shop survives (number 200 Lavender Hill) as an estate agent called Woodland Payne. The post office has been replaced by an ugly 1960s building, but at least it is still a post office. I've also included a close-up of the girl on the right because she is so striking. Also see this post for another view of Lavender Hill. As usual, click the pictures to enlarge.

View Larger Map