PAGE 2 of 3 The following pictures are taken from old postcards and some photographs. They have been scanned from originals, some of which are available for sale. Please enquire about individual pictures for availability.
email JessJephcott@aol.com
There are a lot of postcards here so, if your computer is a little on the slow side, please allow plenty of time for the pictures to load.
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and don't miss some early views here
1 - 280
Series 1952, date in pencil 16/8/30
postally unused
now our natural history museum
2 -
Postally unused. 1920's?
1 - 948 Jumbo and the Balkerne
Gate 2 - 350 15210, unused 3 - 464 2114, Posted August 1906 to Miss G
Bengough of Crediton 4 - 260 The Balkerne Gate from the North
East, postally unused, English Life Publications, Derby,
8913L Response by email
060707 Thank you for the
latest Colchester Postcard series, it is so good to see the
town again as it was when I was a boy. On page 2 ref. 4-260
on the right hand side looking up Balkerne Hill is a white
looking house with a window which looks north down the hill.
This house was no. 38 Balkerne Lane, where I lived from 1941
- 1948. I was 8 when we, the Everitts, left.
This is the only
picture I have ever seen of the house where my wartime
experiences and family dramas were experienced. Any chance
of a copy please? I'd like my sons to see where they came
from with its outside lavatory, the copper next to it where
a fire was lit to heat water for the weeky wash, and fill
the tin bath which was placed in front of the fire range for
weekly baths. Paul Everitt.
1 - 399 In the 1960's, just before Balkerne
Lane was widened and Crouch Street was split in
two. 2 - 1175 HGRC by Gill postally used, George V stamp, date
unclear, sent to Mrs Measures of Peterborough by her
daughter Anne 3 - 901 24/16 258 The British Mirror Series
unused 4 - 385 S6754, unused
1 - 809 East Hill looking
west IXL postally unused 2 - 1017 44 Postally Unused My grandfather was
working at this mill in 1929. I used to live on the
Harwich Road, very close to the East Gates railway crossing.
I used to walk past this mill everyday on my way to school,
St. James Primary; not the new one. The old one used to
stand on the opposite side of the road to the present
school. It was a old Victorian, three classroom building,
long demolished. I can still remember
the old barges tied up to the wharf unloading the
grain. Post card No. Five,
East Street. You ask the question, does anybody remember the
petrol station? It was called Days Garage, and was situated
on the corner of East Street and Brook Street. This area was
known as East Bay. I had a school friend who lived a couple
of doors up from the garage. Colin Andrews.
(September 2007) 3 - Postally unused (although we have
seen another version of this card which was used in 1913).
The Thames barge shown in the picture has Colchester on the
stern and probably named "Maid o'the Mill". Details and
comments are: Built 1888 at
Rochester, Kent by George W. Gill. 45 registered tons,
spritsail rigged, fitted with Taylor and Neates patented
screw steering gear. Owners included W. Marriage of
Colchester, E. Marriage of Colchester and H. Cunis of
London. Broken up in 1930 at Nortons Yard, Charlton, on the
R. Thames. Marriage was the company that owned East Mill,
Colchester. The pictures must
therefore have been taken no earlier than 1888 as Marriages
were the 1st. owners and used her from new.
Up until 1874 such
barges were built with massive wooden tillers to steer them.
After that date screw gearing systems were progressively
introduced. In the early years they were a novelty - a
hi-tech approach of their day! They were less tiring to
operate and allowed longer barges to be built whilst still
being controllable. We must thank
Mr
Mike Wignall
for this information. 4 - 800 Posted August 1961 to Master M
Batie of Sevenoaks from Aunty Rosie. M and L National
Series 5 - 510 The same card but in black and
white. M and L National Series No. 5. Can anybody remember
the petrol station on the left? This card is
unused. The petrol station was
‘Days Garage’ owned by a Mr Watson and his wife.
He also operated Watsons Taxis. Originally the petrol pumps
were on the pavement on the corner of Brook Street. Sometime
in 48 or 49 the pumps were moved to the position shown in
the photograph. In those days your tank was filled for you
and usually ‘Tommy’ was the one who operated the
pump, 10 gallons (42 litres) for £1.00. We lived in Greenstead Road
from January 1947 until March of 1955, I was 22 when we
left. My Dad owned an ice cream business, Orchard
Creameries, as well as the snack bar on Scheregate Steps and
the East Bay Hotel which was diagonally opposite Days
Garage. I went to school at CRGS and
there met Geoff Wade who remained my best friend for 55
years, until he passed away in 2002. Where now are the friends of
one's youth who, in our minds, never grow any
older? Bob Gooderson - October
2007 Thanks
Bob! 6 - 335 Another unused black and white
card, but this time showing Greyfriars College on the left
(previously as nunnery/convent) and the Minories on the
right. Judges No. 29118. 7 - 465 The Rose and Crown and East Street,
CHR6, Masons Alpha Series, posted 11th July 1959 to Mrs H
Gratton of Cork, Ireland. 8 - x This card was kindly sent to us by
Mr Bob Gooderson whose father, Mr R H Gooderson,
once owned the East Bay Hotel (east side of the Goat and
Boot pub on East Hill). He believes that it dates from 1953
or 4. 9 - 851 Marriages Mill. 26. Excel Series?
Postally unused but damaged on back from pasting into a
book. Name of barge unclear. It seems to be something like
......WEL and LONDON
1 - 833 Scheregate Steps and the Clarence
Pub, postally unused, Valentines 63383 2 - 557 Eld Lane Baptist Church and the
Spurrier Memorial, postally unused
1 - 480 postally used dated 1906, sent to
Mlles. Van Ash in Belgium 2 - 414 Grey Friars Convent, Colchester.
Postmarked 1910. Sent to Mademoiselle Cl Allemand of Hyeres,
France. 4 - 433 Dining Hall Unused, P A Buchanan and Co,
Croydon 5 - 433 Unused, P A Buchanan and Co,
Croydon 6 - 433 Unused, P A Buchanan and Co,
Croydon
1 Harwich Road looking
north RAP Co Ltd 9158 postally unused
1 - 1425 unused, HGRC by Gill 2 - M Series, marked no. 378, postally
unused 3 - $2.40 postally unused, looking
south 4 - 579 Head Street looking north with the
Fleece Hotel and Halfords in view. Posted 1920's to Miss
Hanks of Woodstock, Exclusive Crano Series
51697. 5 - 1130 Head Street looking north showing
tram number 10, a horse and dray, the premises of A and
E P Baker, etc. Postally used March 1910, sent to
Mrs M Millbank of Wethersfield. Card by the Rapid Photo
Printing Co Ltd with reference V310-5 6 - 925 Souvenir of the opening of the
Colchester Electric Tramways, 28th July 1904 at Headgate
Corner W Gill photo posted 28 Jul
1904 to Mrs J Hughes of Long Lane,
Finchley 7 - 399 posted 1911 8 - 385 S0738, unused
1 - 420 Holy Trinity Church with the Town
Hall in the background A971/713 postally unused 2 - 567 Unused, V2297 3 - 139 Posted April 1907 to Mr S Joffre of
Lyon, France, from Pierre 4 - 260 postally unused, S and
S C 5 - 371 Unused card, S and
S C. 6 - Masons Alpha CHR7 card, unused.
c1955. Richards Shops on Culver Street. WNO 539 Riley
1500? car registration.
1 - 459 Essex and Colchester General
Hospital 24/23 British Mirror
series postmarked Jul 1906, Mrs J Storkey,
Leiston 2 - 460 Posted April 1918 to Mrs Baker of
Walthamstow from Harry 3 - Essex County Hospital Staff
c1912 Left to Right Back Row - 2 Spooner, 3 Moffat, 4
White Second Row - 4 Dr Chichester, 5 Dr
P Laver, 6 Dr Clowes, 10 Stribling, 11
Wilkinson Third Row - 4 Dr Curl, 5 Matron
Buckham, 6 Dr Nicholson, 10 Mitchell Who are all the
others? 4 - 425 The Hospital - Valentines Series,
posted to Miss Rosie Milne of Hampton Hill on 25th July 1903
by NM.
1 - 1015 Hythe Quay looking
east 57088 Valentines postmarked Nov 1908, E Carstairs,
Almondsbury, Huddersfield 2 - 1217 (Sold) Colchester Hythe
Quay No 19, postally unused. High
quality black and white version not shown here but image
available. Same as view shown. 2c - 838 HGRC from photo by Gill. posted
23rd Dec 190 3 or 5. Christmas version in colour. To Miss
Winnie Luen? of Frinton, from Maude, 3 - 616 Postmarked Sep 1946, to Miss
Catherine Gladwell, Surrey . In February 2008 we received the
following feedback: Meeson owned several barges
and the flour mills at Battlesbridge. For many years "Paglesham"
was skippered by Bob Eves of Wivenhoe, and later, Dick
Daniels. "Paglesham" was sold to W.H.
Theobald of Leigh on sea (trading as Leigh Building
Supplies) and was generally employed carrying softwood
from the Surrey docks. The postcard shows her having
just discharged a timber cargo at Groom Daniels
wharf. In April 1944 "Paglesham"
loaded Kentish wheat in Whitstable harbour for London.
She survived the war and was in the Surrey docks in 1947
loading timber when she was sunk by a steamer, she was
"raised but condemned" and was aquired by the Sea Scouts
as a guardship and was broken up around 1953.
"Imperial" was requisitioned,
during the war for the storage and delivery of ammunition
to ships coming in to the Chatham dockyard and afterwards
rebuilt and converted into a motor barge for London and
Rochester Trading Co. (1949 on) she was laid up around
1958 and became a houseboat at Temple Marsh,Strood,Kent
and derelict by 1961. Colin
Swindale. 4 - 2185 Hythe Docks, 13, poster 7th May
1913, from the barge Albert. ~~~~~~~~ Thanks to Colin
Swindale for this additional information - March
2008 The barge on the left is Gem of
Colchester. The vessel on right is Dina Joanna. The rowing
boat far left has markings but illegible. The middle vessel
equally so. 5 - 385 An unused picture of Hythe Quay
showning the Spirality of London, M and L National Series,
No. 57.
The sailing barge on
the right of the picture is the 55 ton "Paglesham" built
in 1877 at Paglesham by Kemp for A.J.Meeson of
Battlesbridge as a wedding present for his
wife.
We are indebted to Mr Mike Wignall of
Which provides the future programme, results and history of the Thames Sailing Barge Match itself, which was founded in 1863 and is still running.
Mike very kindly identified one of the barges shown on the Hythe section. Here follows his comments:
Postcard 3-616 shows "Imperial". She was a Thames sailing barge which had a very characteristic main/top mast and sail arrangement with a massive spar at 30-45 degrees, the base pivoting almost at deck level i.e. spritsail rigged. This rig is quite unmistakeable once you know what you're looking for and it is easy to pick out a Thames sailing barge amongst a forest of masts of various vessels in photos - based on their spritsail rig.
In the card she is shown as belonging to "LRTC" [cut in/painted above her name] which was the 19-20th. century London & Rochester Trading Co., based at Frindsbury, near Strood, in Kent on the R. Medway. She's shown as being registered in London and she was built in the East Greenwich bargeyard of Shrubsall, in 1902 and was owned by one Valentine Colchester of Ipswich. She was of 53 registered tons, length 84.6 ft., beam 19.2 ft and draught 5.9 ft.
She was sold on in 1925 to another company "Rands", who sold her on again to the LRTC in 1934. This company was keen on racing their working barges in the annual Thames Match and annual Medway Match where they competed against their arch-rivals in the sailing barge transport industry - F. T. Everard & Sons. "Imperial" came 1st. in 1902, and 3rd. in both the 1928 and 1933 Thames Matches. She came 1st. in 1902, 3rd. in 1929 and 2nd. in 1930 in the Medway Match. LRTC converted her from a sailing barge to a motor barge in 1949. She finally ended her days as a hulk in the vicinity of the Temple Marsh & Strood Yacht Club.
The photo the postcard was made from must therefore have been taken sometime from 1934 onwards.
1 Ipswich Road roundabout
c1935 9158 RAP Co Ltd postally unused
1 - 1282 Lexden Park looking
north 50686 Valentines Postmarked Aug 1908, Wilfred
Fallen, Balham Hill 2 The Sun pub on the
right IXL Series printed in
Germany postally unused 3 RAF Co Ltd 9158 postally unused 4 - 420 Lexden Road Sep 1904, Master Donald Schaby?,
c/o Mr Selsby, comment that this is where Bill Bailey takes
his walk. 5 - 600 unused, M and
R C 6 - 600 S and S C Postally
unused 7 - SOLD Lexden Church, postmarked August
1930 to Miss M A Ainsworth, Mayor Street, Bolton,
from Florrie 8 - 584 Entitled Lexden Village, this card
was posted in January 1906 to Miss Drury of Brentwood by
Chaney. 9 - 874 Postmarked 28th July 1910 to Miss
ereant of Sta Saviors, Jersey, from ? 147
7379
1 - SOLD Card recalling the Colchester
Earthquake in 1884 Posted April 1906 to Hugh Rooney
from his mother 362
H G R C Note the missing piece off the
spire. Only the tower now stands in the centre of the Lion
Walk shopping area. 2 - postmarked August 1906, to Miss
Bolton of Hoddesdon, from A Turner, commenting that
'this is a view of Rev F Y Leggatt's church'.
Photo by Gill, H G R C 3 - 360 Lion Walk Church interior,
HGRC Photo by Gill, postally unused
1 - 487 Middle Mill The Star Series George V stamp, Pte
Ernie H Everett, Weeley 2 - 105 postally unused 3 - 105 Photograph postally unused 4 - Middle Mill at Colchester (since
demolished). Postally unused but written on back from Edith
to Charles and dated 14 July 1937
1 - 2270 Tram No 3 at Middleborough
c1920 2 - x The Cattle Market donated image
1 - 716 S and S C 2613
unused 2 - 1094 Mile End Street, sent to Miss
Elliott of 200 Old Kent Road, S E London on 9th Sept 1909 by
Dolly 3 - The New Asylum,
Myland Published by W Tipper, Newsagent,
Myland, posted 1912? to Mrs Stuart of Dublin by Bridie
Delahenty?
1 - 495 North Bridge 50645 JV Harry to Ethel, no
date 2 - 250 S and S C, Dated Apr
1905 To Miss L Stebbins of Saxmundham
from Grace 3 - 625 Valentines Series 57347. Posted
between 1911 and 1935 (George V stamp). to Miss
E Gardiner of Great Oakley. 4 - 191 Unused, Valentines Series, 220487,
c1930
1 - 260 North Hill 60191 Harvey Barton postally unused 2 North Hill 31199 JV postmarked Sep 1914, Mrs M Jowett,
Bingley 3 - 750 North Hill looking
north postmarked 1924 4 - 84344 a 975/715 postally
unused 5 - 695 unused, 1060, 10
80904 'The building with the canopy on
the left in number 29 North Hill, and is a tailors and
outfitters going by the name of Broom's'. John Broom,
Barnsley 6 - 450 Postally unused 7 - Posted September 1955, to Hession?
of Massachusetts, printed by Photochrom
Co Ltd 8 - 576 postally unused, by Photocrom Co
Ltd but compare the similarity with the preceding card dated
1955. Two pubs are shown; the Coach and Horses (demolished)
and the Marquis of Granby. 9 - 364 Valentine Series, 31190 JV. posted
17th Sep 1907 to Mrs Dickenson of Newton, Yorks, with
mention of Ted and Prissy? 10 - 610 North Hill showing a tram which
started running July 28th 1904. Posted 6th Sep 1904 to Mr
Harold Preston of Blackpool 11 - 464 Unused card, s6745 12 - 470 card by Cullingford and Co,
Colchester, SH 1871. sent August 1914 to Mrs R
Whittington of Yiewsley. 13 - 795 385 M Series, 24 Queen Victoria St,
London EC, unused but after 1904 as the tram lines can be
seen. Edward Broom, Tailor and Hatter on left. J Rutkin.
A & L Noy. The Marquis of Granby. Evans
further up. 14 - 425 Valentines K823, postally unused.
Approx 1950
More pictures will be added in due course, together with comments. Can any of you identify any particular vehicle, tram, individual, etc?
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