| I was introduced to the hobby of collecting old postcards by my dear friend the late Brian Jay. Brian was for many years president of the Colchester & District Card Collectors Club. My main collection is of postcards depicting sailing barges of which I have 600. I also have a sizable collection of Mersea and the surrounding villages.
A month ago a set of six West Mersea cards came up on EBay. These were a part of a set of twelve published by Lilywhites of Halifax in the 1920s. I already have eight of the set but there were two on offer that I hadn't got so I put in a bid. I managed to get one showing Hove Creek but was outbid on the one showing the Causeway which went for £31. (Hove Creek is now a shadow of its former self and is at the bottom of Hove Hill or Rosebank Hill, on Coast Road.)
I always consider postcards published by the Great Totham photographer Thomas Hammond to be the 'Rolls Royce' of postcards, I had cards by him of most of the local churches and recently bought one of Little Wigborough church which is quite rare. The church is now closed and its future in doubt, so the postcard is becoming historic.
Hammond cards were published around 1911 and are recognizable by the captions in 'Joined up' writing. Barges at the Strood seem to fetch good money and a Hammond one recently sold for £120. Another by a different publisher sold for £230. I have that one but mine has a small corner crease which decreases the value but doesn't effect the image. I believe the barge is the Fanny, the bottom of which lays on Packing Shed Island. I recently bought one of the Black Lion at Layer Marney which ceased to be a pub many years ago and is now a private house. It is probably the only photo of it as a pub.
Punts in Hove Creek, West Mersea. Before August 1937
Little Wigborough Church c1911
Sailing Barge unloading at the Strood in the 1920s. Barge FANNY ?
Published in Mersea Life November 2024 page 52. | 