Saturday 14 January 2012

Steamboat 'Hampton Court', somewhere on the Thames c1925


Steamboat 'Hampton Court', somewhere on the Thames circa 1925. The people on this boat appear to be having great fun. Some are playing to the camera, pretending to be drunk. Perhaps it was a works outing. Unknown location, somewhere on the Thames. If any readers know the location please let me know. Hampton Court is a pleasure steamer built and operated by Salters in 1923. Both the boat and the company are still going, though the boat is no longer steam powered. Postcard publisher not stated. Click the postcard to enlarge - if you save it to your computer you can see a high resolution version with more detail. No 'now' picture this time, I don't know the location.

For more old pictures visit the Sepia Saturday blog where this week's theme is hats.


18 comments:

  1. The close-up view is so amusing. What a lot of fun they were having...and so many hats.

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  2. The guy front right holding the baby is sporting quite the fascinator! I'm impressed that we can see every face in a crowd that size. I'd expect more people to be hidden behind hats and heads.

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  3. oh my goodness, hats galore! A picture that merits a long close look, thanks for uploading a large version.

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  4. Fantastic postcard, the detail is beautiful!

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  5. So much detail in the photograph - it's one of those "all human life is here" images. Particularly like the bloke having a swig out of his bottle.

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  6. Aahhh...Boating on the Thames. Wonderful fun. ♥

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  7. Yes, wonderful, lots of details. It's nice to see so many people full of joy from so long ago.

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  8. At least the baby wasn’t drunk! A works outing seems to be a reasonable assumption. Lots of hats to admire as well.

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  9. Lots of hats there. There are a lot of cloches on women, a style that doesn't seem to be mentioned in my Home Craft book from 1920.

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  10. You just wouldn't leave home without one! Very cool post, my hats off to you! Wish I could too post on Alan's blog but for some reason it won't allow me to open it up! Grr! Here is my post link

    If you want to see it!


    http://twincitiesblather.blogspot.com/2012/01/sepia-saturday-108-14-january-2012.html

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  11. I can only find one lady without a hat whereas there are several hatless men. I shall have to check out a present day steamer (Yarm to Stockton on the Teesside Princess) when it's warm enough to take a trip - there will be lots of hoodies I'm sure. Hampton Court would have been much more elegant.

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  12. If the company's still in operation do you suppose they have this photo (with details about location) in their archives? It looks like a very crowded boat. The people look like they're enjoying themselves. When did people stop wearing hats? And why, I wonder.

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  13. That is a boatload of hats! And that's not something I get to say everyday.

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  14. A great photograph full of activity : well actually full of people drinking and enjoying themselves which is even better than activity.

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  15. Yes, you absolutely have to look at this picture in closeup to truly appreciate it - this was a fun-loving bunch of people.

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  16. Wow what a lot of folks out for the outing. Priceless

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  17. Another fun day on a boat and what a crowd too!
    I love photo puzzles so I'll take up your challenge to identify the place. I spotted the sign in the tree on the right: Tea Gardens & Minerals Lockhouse. So a Thames lock. There are a lot, but diligent Wikepedians have cataloged them all with pictures. Could the Windsor Lock be it? The Wiki entry photo has a house that looks very like the one on the left behind the party boat. Seems a likely place for such a photo too.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OldWindsorLock02.JPG

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  18. Well done Mike! That is definitely it - Windsor Lock. Thanks very much, good detective work. Now, I have a big pile of postcards here that need the location identifying...

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