Friday 8 November 2013

Brighton, Sussex, Palace Pier 1903

Brighton, Sussex, Palace Pier 1903. These two old postcards by John Walker in their 'Bells Series' postcards show Brighton Pier in 1903. I'm using that date from the poster in the second postcard that advertises a play, 'One Summer's Day', on Monday August 31st. August 31st fell on a Monday in 1903 and 1908, the style of these postcards suggests to me the earlier year. The first postcard shows a seller of Hokey Pokey - an early form of Ice Cream, known for its unhygenic methods of production. Both of these postcards were very badly faded and I've made some crude attempts to digitally enhance them. Click the postcards to enlarge.
For more old photos visit Sepia Saturday.




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14 comments:

  1. What fabulous postcards -- what is the thing to the right of the Hokey-Pokey cart? That thing with the guy standing at the end?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Deb, that is a horse trough - a free drinking fountain for horses.

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  2. Great post cards, of what surely was a fun time. I know the song, but wasn't really keen on what the Hokey-Pokey cart was selling!

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  3. Both cards are wonderful and lively. Much preferred to the eerie quiet of Google's virtual walk down the depopulated modern pier. I recommend a stroll down to the end which neatly turns around to return on the other side of the pier. See if you can meet the cow!

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  4. Lovely postcards! Hokey pokey icecream these days is a New Zealand favourite, with little bits of hokey pokey ( toffee) mixed through the ice cream. I'm sure it's perfectly hygenic now :-)

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  5. I went on a bit of a wander around the pier (with google maps). Even underneath the pier looks similar to the old postcard, although it looks like there is now a boat ramp too. In my "tour" I also notice the public phone near the pier. With mobile phones being so popular, there are now very few public phones remaining in Australia.

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  6. Well, now I'm going to have that "Hokey Pokey" song in my head all day! Memorable postcards, for so many reasons.

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  7. I'm going to have to google hokey pokey ice cream and see what sort of unhygenic ice cream it was.

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  8. Pure hokey pokey is my favorite! I am humming that tune too, and "that's what it's all about...."

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  9. I never heard of ice cream called hokey pokey. It doesn't sound like a "fine ice" at all.

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  10. Never heard of Hokey Pokey ice cream either. What made it unhygienic? Maybe I don't want to know.

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  11. It seems like a slurp from the horse trough would have been more hygienic than a slurp from the ice cream cart!

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  12. Well I've never eaten Hokey Pokey but I've done the Hokey Pokey and now I'm wondering what on earth the dance has to do with the icecream ! Good post.

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  13. Two interesting cards and I enjoyed the google walk.

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