A Highland Time Capsule: Exploring a Vintage Multi-View Postcard of Fort Augustus

 There is a unique magic in holding a "Real Photograph" postcard. Unlike mass-printed lithographs, these cards were produced directly from photographic negatives, offering a depth and clarity that transports you straight into the past. This particular gem from my collection features a multi-view layout of Fort Augustus, serving as a mid-century travel brochure for one of Scotland's most iconic locations.

Dating the Card: A Post-War Treasure

While this card wasn't sent through the post—denying us a helpful postmark—we can piece together its history through "deltiology" (the study of postcards). The phrase "A REAL PHOTOGRAPH" printed on the reverse, combined with the "Printed in Great Britain" mark and the clean, sans-serif typography, strongly points to the late 1940s to early 1950s.

During this era, the United Kingdom was emerging from the shadow of WWII, and domestic tourism to the Highlands was booming. Multi-view cards like this were incredibly popular as they offered tourists a "greatest hits" compilation of their visit in a single souvenir.

Fort Augustus, Scotland

The Views: A Window into the Great Glen

The front of the card presents a curated selection of Fort Augustus's most famous landmarks. Each frame tells a story of the village's dual identity as a military outpost and a spiritual sanctuary.

1. The Majestic Fort Augustus Abbey

The centrepiece of the card is undoubtedly the Benedictine Abbey. Originally a Hanoverian fort built in 1729 to suppress Jacobite uprisings, the site was transformed in the 1870s into a monastery and school. In this photograph, we see the imposing Gothic Revival architecture in its prime. For decades, the monks were a vital part of the community, running a prestigious school until its closure in 1993. Today, the building lives on as "The Highland Club," but in this postcard, it remains a quiet bastion of monastic life.

2. The Engineering Marvel: The Caledonian Canal

Another view captures the famous flight of locks on the Caledonian Canal. Designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1822, these locks are the heart of the village. In the mid-20th century, you would have seen a mix of working fishing boats and early leisure craft navigating the 40-foot drop between the canal and Loch Ness. The stillness of the water in the photograph highlights the engineering precision that carved a path through the Great Glen.

3. Scenic Splendor: River Tarff and Loch Lochy

The smaller vignettes often include the River Tarff or the nearby Loch Lochy. These views emphasize the rugged, "untouched" beauty of the Highlands that has drawn visitors for centuries. The River Tarff flows into Loch Ness right at Fort Augustus, providing the lush, green backdrop seen in the card.

Why This Postcard Matters to Collectors

For a deltiologist, a card like this isn't just a piece of paper; it’s a record of a disappearing world.

• The Photographic Quality: Because it is a real photograph, the resolution is high enough to see tiny details—the fashion of a passerby on the canal path or the specific masonry of the Abbey.

• Social History: It represents the "Golden Age" of the British postcard, a time when sending a card was the primary way to share a holiday experience before the advent of digital photography and social media.

• Topographical Accuracy: These cards are invaluable to historians looking to see how the landscape and architecture of the Highlands have shifted over the last 70 years.

Conclusion

Fort Augustus remains a "must-see" stop on any tour of Scotland, famous for its Nessie-hunting cruises and stunning canal-side walks. Looking at this postcard, it’s clear that while the world around it has changed, the village’s core appeal—its history, its engineering, and its breathtaking natural beauty—remains perfectly preserved.

The Haunted Beauty of St John’s in the Wilderness: A Postcard Journey to Old Exmouth

 There is a specific kind of magic found in the quiet corners of the English countryside—places where stone, ivy, and history intertwine so tightly that it becomes difficult to tell where man’s work ends and nature’s begins. One such place is the Parish Church of St John in the Wilderness, located just outside Exmouth in Devon.

Today, I’m sharing a beautiful piece from my personal vintage postcard collection. This hand-tinted gem offers a window into the past, capturing the "Wilderness" church in an era of romantic decay and serene isolation.

---

Dating the Card: A Glimpse into the Edwardian Era

When collecting vintage postcards, half the fun is playing detective to determine when the image was produced and mailed. While this specific card hasn't been postmarked, several physical clues allow us to pin down its origin with reasonable certainty.

Look closely at the back of the card. It features a "Divided Back," with a vertical line separating the message area from the address. In Great Britain, the Post Office only permitted divided backs starting in 1902. Before this, the entire back was reserved for the address, and any message had to be scribbled on the front around the image.

The typography of "POSTCARD – GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND" and the specific "Stamp" box design suggest a production date between 1905 and 1915. This was the "Golden Age" of postcards. The hand-tinted colouring on the front—where soft greens and muted reds are layered over a monochrome photograph—is a hallmark of this period, aiming to give the viewer a "technicolour" experience before colour photography was commercially viable.

The Story of St John’s in the Wilderness

The church pictured is officially the Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Withycombe Raleigh, but its evocative nickname, "St John’s in the Wilderness," has been in use for centuries.

The site has been a place of worship since at least the 10th century, but the tower you see in the postcard dates back to the 15th century. By the mid-1700s, the main body of the church had fallen into a state of extreme disrepair. In a move that seems unthinkable today, much of the nave was demolished in 1778, leaving the tower and a small portion of the north aisle standing as a lonely ruin in the middle of the churchyard.

For over a hundred years, it remained in the state seen in this postcard: a romantic, ivy-clad skeleton of a building. It wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th centuries—right around the time this postcard was printed—that restoration work began to bring the church back to life for regular services.

Analyzing the Image: Ivy, Stone, and Silence

The front of the postcard captures the church from the southwest, highlighting the imposing square tower. The "Wilderness" aspect of its name is on full display here.

• The Ivy: The sheer volume of ivy clinging to the tower is breathtaking. In the early 1900s, this "picturesque decay" was highly fashionable. Today, we know that such heavy vegetation can damage ancient stonework, and modern conservationists have since cleared much of it away to preserve the structure.

• The Churchyard: The foreground is dotted with weathered headstones. This churchyard is the final resting place of several notable figures, most famously Lady Byron, the wife of the poet Lord Byron, and Francis Danby, the renowned Irish Romantic painter.

• The Atmosphere: The hand-tinting adds a dreamlike quality. The sky is a pale, washed-out blue, and the grass is a vibrant, impossible green. It evokes a sense of Victorian nostalgia—a longing for a rural England that was already beginning to change with the advent of the motorcar and modern industry.

Why We Collect: The Power of the Postcard

Collecting cards like this isn't just about the cardboard; it's about holding a moment of time in your hands. This postcard was likely sold as a souvenir to a holidaymaker visiting the Devon coast. Exmouth was a burgeoning seaside resort, and a trip out to the "Wilderness" church would have been a popular excursion by carriage or on foot.

When I look at this card, I think of the person who might have bought it. Perhaps they stood in that very churchyard, listening to the same wind through the trees, before heading back to the seafront to write home about their travels.

Visiting St John’s Today

If you visit Exmouth today, you can still stand where this photographer stood. While the "Wilderness" is perhaps a bit less wild now—the church has been beautifully restored and is once again a centre of parish life—the 15th-century tower remains a steadfast sentinel. The ivy is gone, revealing the intricate stonework, but the sense of peace remains.

Across the Menai: A Mid-Century Postcard Tale from Surbiton to North Wales

 There is a unique magic in holding a piece of history that was once tucked into a post box on a breezy Welsh afternoon. This latest addition to my collection—a vibrant "Cotman-Color" series postcard—captures more than just a famous landmark; it captures a moment of mid-century leisure, a family's awe at British engineering, and the enduring charm of the "wish you were here" tradition.

Whether you are a dedicated deltiologist (a collector of postcards) or a fan of Welsh history, this particular artifact offers a wonderful deep dive into the 1950s or 60s era of British domestic tourism.

---

The Menai Bridge, Anglesey

The View: Thomas Telford’s Masterpiece in Technicolor

The front of the postcard features a stunning, high-angle view of the Menai Suspension Bridge, titled simply "THE MENAI BRIDGE" in a clean, sans-serif font at the bottom left. The image is a classic example of the Jarrold & Sons Ltd printing style, known for their "Cotman-Color" series based in Norwich, England. These cards were famous for their saturated, painterly quality that made the British landscape look like a vivid dream.

In this frame, we see the bridge stretching elegantly across the Menai Strait, connecting the mainland of North Wales to the Isle of Anglesey. The composition is particularly peaceful:

• The Bridge: You can see the rhythmic limestone arches supporting the approach and the long, sweeping suspension chains that were a marvel of the early 19th century.

• The Water: The Strait is a deep, reflective blue, with gentle ripples in the foreground near a small white yacht moored on the right.

• The Shoreline: On the left, a charming stone building with a green upper story sits right at the water's edge, surrounded by lush, dense summer greenery.

Looking at this image, it is easy to see why the senders described the scene as "very impressive". Even today, nearly 200 years after its completion in 1826, the bridge remains a titan of civil engineering.

---

The Message: A Snapshot of a Family Holiday

Turning the card over reveals the personal side of this historical fragment. The handwriting is neat and confident, written in blue ink that has held its colour remarkably well over the decades.

The message is addressed to a Mr. H. F. Welham at 7 Surbiton Hill Rd, Surbiton, Surrey. Surbiton, a leafy suburb of London, was (and is) a world away from the rugged coastline of North Wales. For Mr. Welham, receiving this card would have been a colourful reminder of his friends’ adventures far to the north.

The note reads:

"Dear Mr. Welham, We are enjoying a holiday in North Wales this year, we have been across to Anglesey via the Menai Bridge today, very impressive. We do hope you are keeping well, Best Wishes from Grace & Ted Collins. Ken & Geoffrey."

This short note tells a quintessential story of the British touring holiday. In the post-war era, as car ownership increased, families like the Collins would pack up their vehicles and head to the coast or the mountains. Crossing the Menai Bridge wasn't just a logistical necessity; it was an event—a highlight of the trip that warranted a report back to friends in Surrey.

---

Dating the Artifact: Stamps and Postmarks

As collectors, we often play detective to find the exact "when" of a card. This piece offers several clues:

1. The Stamp: The card bears a purple 3d (three-old-pence) stamp featuring the young Queen Elizabeth II. This is part of the "Wilding" series, which was the standard definitive stamp from 1952 until the late 1960s.

2. The Publisher: Jarrold & Sons Ltd of Norwich began their "Cotman-Color" series in the 1950s. The style of the logo and the typography suggests this is likely from the late 50s or early 1960s.

3. The Postmark: While the date is partially obscured, the sorting office is visible as CAERNARVON (the English spelling of Caernarfon used during that period). The time is marked as 11 AM.

Based on the 3d postage rate and the stamp design, we can safely place this card in a time when the British seaside and mountain resorts were at the height of their popularity, before the dawn of cheap Mediterranean package flights changed holiday habits forever.

---

Why the Menai Bridge Matters

The bridge shown on this card is more than just a pretty picture; it is a monument to the Industrial Revolution. Designed by Thomas Telford, it was the first major suspension bridge in the world.

Before it opened, travellers to Ireland had to brave the dangerous currents of the Menai Strait by ferry to reach Holyhead. Telford’s bridge allowed the "Irish Mail" coaches to cross safely and quickly. By the time Grace and Ted Collins drove across it in their car, the bridge had already survived over a century of North Welsh weather and had been significantly renovated in the 1940s to handle the weight of modern traffic.

---

Preserving the "Small Histories"

I often wonder who Grace, Ted, Ken, and Geoffrey were. Were they a family? Perhaps Ken and Geoffrey were their sons, experiencing the scale of the Menai Strait for the first time. This postcard is a "small history"—a record of a single happy day in the lives of ordinary people, preserved on a piece of cardboard.

For those of us who collect, these cards are a way to touch the past. They remind us that while technology changes—from the suspension chains of 1826 to the digital images of today—our desire to share our experiences with those we care about remains constant.