TW-2658471 The Sailor's Compliant -

This postcard sent by Jenny of Taiwan (7 Dec 2018 Postcrossing) is a reproduction of a 337mm x 212mm ink on paper art item held currently by the Australian National Maritime Museum. 

This postcard depicts sheet music with a maritime theme showing a woman with a basket, greeting a sailor who has just arrived in a naval frigate. Ballads about sailors often centred on themes of romance and jilted love. Ships were an everyday part of society in the 19th century and for many people tales of maritime life would have been of interest and relevance to their daily life. 

The ballad is set to a the tune attributed to George Frideric Handel.

The verses of this ballad are:

Come and listen to my ditty,
All ye jolly hearts of gold;
Lend a brother Tar your pity,
Who was once so stout and bold.
But the arrows of Cupid,
Alas! have made me rue;
Sure, true love was ne'er so treated,
As am I by scornful Sue. 

When I landed first at Dover,
She appear'd a goddess bright;
From foreign parts I was just come over,
And was struck with so fair a sight.
On shore pretty Sukey walked,
Near to where our frigate lay, 
And altho' so near the landing,
I, alas! was cast away. 

When first I hail'd my pretty creature,
The deIight of land and sea,
No man ever saw a sweeter,
I'd have kept her company;
I'd have fain made her my true love,
For better, or for worse;
But alas! I could not compass her,
For to steer the marriage course. 

Once, no greater joy and pleasure
Could have come into my mind,
Then to see the bold Defiance
Sailing right before the wind,
O'er the white waves as she danced,
And her colours gaily flew:
But that was not half so charming
As the trim of lovely Sue.

On a rocky coast I've driven,
Where the stormy winds do rise,
Where the rolling mountain billows
Lift a vessel to the skies:
But from land, or from the ocean,
Little dread I ever knew,
When compared to the dangers
In the frowns of scornful Sue.

Long I wonder'd why my jewel
Had the heart to use me so,
Till I found, by often sounding,
She'd another love in tow:
So farewell, hard-hearted Sukey,
I'll my fortune seek at sea,
And try in a more friendly latitude,
Since in yours I cannot be.

GB-897149 Castle Howard in England

Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, 15 miles (24 km) north of York. It is a private residence, and has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years.

Castle Howard is not a true castle, but this term is also used for English country houses erected on the site of a former military castle. It was where the Earl of Sandwich lived for a long time.

Castle Howard is familiar to television and film audiences as the fictional "Brideshead", both in Granada Television's 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited" and a two-hour 2008 remake for cinema. Today, Castle Howard is listed as one of the Treasure Houses of England.    (Source: Wikipedia)

This postcard came from Janet (9 June 2017)

"England expects that every man will do his duty"

"England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, from his flagship HMS Victory as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805.
Trafalgar was a decisive naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. It gave the United Kingdom control of the seas, removing all possibility of a French invasion and conquest of Britain.

Although there was much confusion surrounding the wording of the signal in the aftermath of the battle, the significance of the victory and Nelson's death during the battle led to the phrase becoming embedded in the English psyche, and it has been regularly quoted, paraphrased and referenced up to the modern day. Source: Wikipedia

This great postcard came from Lita A. (30 June 2016) who has sent me many, many interesting postcards. Thanks Lita.  I have always been interested in flags and this postcard shows signalling flags carrying this famous message. 

GB-698771 A Ladybird Book -“Julius Caesar”

Ladybird Books is a London-based publishing company within the Penguin Group of companies. The Ladybird imprint publishes mass-market children's books. The company traces its origins to 1867. The classic pocket-sized mini-hardback Ladybird book measured roughly four-and-a-half by seven inches (11.5 cm by 18 cm). Early books used a standard 56-page format, chosen because a complete book could be printed on one large standard sheet of paper. It was an economical way of producing books, enabling the books to be retailed at a low price which, for almost thirty years, remained at two shillings and sixpence (12.5p).

I am very interested in the different cultures of the world.  Besides costumes, music, dance, rituals, holidays, etc language is very much a part of any culture. The ability to educate their young via reading (and cheap books) is a great cultural achievement of any society.

This postcard came from Kate (16 October 2015) Postcrossing.

GB-700683 The White Cliffs of Dover

The White Cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to 350 feet (110 m) owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent.

The cliffs have great symbolic value in Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before the advent of air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of England for travellers. Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Julian (5 October 2015) Postcrossing.

US-3560574 York Minster, England

The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York. The title "minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and serves now as an honorific title. Services in the minster are sometimes regarded as on the High Church or Anglo-Catholic end of the Anglican continuum.

The minster has a very wide Decorated Gothic nave and chapter house, a Perpendicular Gothic Quire and east end and Early English North and South transepts. The nave contains the West Window, constructed in 1338, and over the Lady Chapel in the east end is the Great East Window, (finished in 1408), the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. In the north transept is the Five Sisters Window, each lancet being over 52 feet (16 m) high. The south transept contains a rose window, while the West Window contains a heart-shaped design colloquially known as 'The Heart of Yorkshire'. Source: Wikipedia

This postcard came from Elisha (2 September 2015) Postcrossing.

RU-3829061 A narrow-gauge steam locomotive of the Talyllyn Railway in Wales, United Kingdom

Although not indicated anywhere on this postcard from Galina (31 July 2015) Postcrossing, the locomotive shown on the postcard is definitely a steam locomotive of the Talyllyn Railway.

The Talyllyn Railway is a historic narrow-gauge steam railway, set in the beautiful Mid-Wales countryside of the United Kingdom. The line runs from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn and Nant Gwernol.  Along the way, the line passes the delightful Dolgoch Falls.

There are six steam locomotives owned by the Talyllyn Railway.  These are:

•No.1 "Talyllyn" - Fletcher Jennings, 1864

•No.2 "Dolgoch" - Fletcher Jennings, 1866
•No.3 "Sir Haydn" - Hughes, 1878
•No.4 "Edward Thomas" - Kerr Stuart, 1921
•No.6 "Douglas" - Barclay, 1918
•No.7 "Tom Rolt" - Talyllyn Railway, 1991

I am not sure which locomotive is depicted on this postcard.

GB-672414 A Classic Locomotive of Northern Ireland - the UTA SG3 No.35

In June 2013, a set of 4 stamp cards featuring Classic Locomotives of Northern Ireland was issued.  All four locomotives featured are steam locomotives.  This particular stamp card shows the UTA (Ulster Transport Authority) SG3 Class No. 35. Part of a single batch of 15 locomotives constructed in 1920-21, the SG3 class was built in Manchester by Beyer, Peacock.

The SG3 is remembered as one of the most powerful steam trains of that time and it was often referred to as the ‘Big D’s’ reflecting the fact that it handled the heaviest goods trains on the GNRI (Great Northern Railway (Ireland)).

The UTA SG3 Class No. 35 could boast 191/2in x 26in cylinders as well as 24,107Ib tractive effort and 5ft diameter boilers making it a highly sought after steam engine of the time before it was then withdrawn from service between 1959 and 1965.

Source: http://blog.postofficeshop.co.uk/classic-locomotives-northern-ireland/

This postcard came from Sandra (10 July 2015) Postcrossing.
Sandra also sent a further postcard (17 August 2015) DS - this one shows the entire set of stamps depicting Northern Ireland Classic Locomotives.

GB-669833 The Union Jack

The Union Jack or Union Flag, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. The present design of the Union Flag dates from a Royal proclamation following the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George of the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland (which two were united in the earlier Union Flag of 1606), and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland.

This postcard came from Andrew (26 June 2015) Postcrossing.

GB-644277 Team GB - the brand name of the British Olympic Association

Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic team. The brand was developed after the 1996 Summer Olympics and is now a trademark of the BOA. It is meant to unify the team as one body, irrespective of each member athlete's particular sport. The brand is seen as controversial by some for focusing on Great Britain, at the expense of Northern Ireland, with critics suggesting it be changed to Team UK, something the BOA has so far rejected.

What I find interesting in this postcard is the colours that make up the British Lion.  The colours are naturally Red White and Blue and echo the colours of the Union Jack.

This postcard came from Mel (8 June 2015) Postcrossing.

GB-620528 Chesterton Windmill in Warwickshire, England

Chesterton Windmill is a 17th-century cylindric stone tower windmill with an arched base, located outside the village of Chesterton, Warwickshire. It is a striking landmark in South-East Warwickshire.

The windmill stands on a hilltop overlooking the village of Chesterton for nearly 350 years. It was built around 1632-1633, probably by Sir Edward Peyto and could conceivably been designed by Inigo Jones.

Chesterton Windmill is built of hard local limestone, with sandstone detailing, on a shallow platform of 71 feet 9 inches (21.87 m) in diameter. There are four windows in the tower, two small and two much larger with stone mullioned windows. Beside the open ground floor within the arches there are two more floors to the mill.

This postcard came from Nerdbird (27 January 2015) Postcrossing. This photograph was taken by Eric de Maré (1910-2002) a British photographer and author, described as one of the greatest British architectural photographers.

SW EE-335 Three Statues of Leicester

The Leicester City Council maintains several sculptures and statues located in various places in Leicester.

King Richard III
A statue of King Richard III in bronze was unveiled on 31 July 1980. King Richard had stayed in Leicester on the eve of his fatal defeat at Bosworth Field on 22 August 1485; his corpse was afterwards carried back to Leicester and publicly displayed for several days.

Thomas Cook, travel pioneer, 1808-1892

A statue of Thomas Cook stands on London Road, outside Leicester Railway Station. Thomas Cook's career as a travel pioneer began in 1841. He ventured overseas in 1855. By the 1880s, his firm had obtained a monopoly of Nile passenger traffic and had set up their own fleet of steamers.

The Leicester Seamstress 

This statue represents a life-size seated eighteenth century hosiery worker sewing the seam of a stocking. It was unveiled on 29 June 1990.

This postcard came from Serena (27 October 2014) Swap-bot.

GB-565525 Fountains Abbey (ruins)

Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located near the village of Aldfield in North Yorkshire.

The Abbey is reflected in the waters of the River Skell

The Abbey was founded in 1132.  The story begins with signs of unrest at St Mary's Abbey in York. 13 reform-minded monks fled York under the protection of Archbishop Thurstan and were granted the land at Fountains to start a new abbey. The community suffered severe hardships in its early years but the monks were highly organised and lived their lives according to strict rules. The abbey grew in size, wealth and power throughout the 1200s. However, Fountains Abbey experienced financial problems in the 1290s and, like all of the northern houses, fell victim to the Scots in the early fourteenth century. The abbey recovered its fortunes in the fifteenth century and operated for over 400 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

In 1986 the parkland in which the abbey is situated and the abbey was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was recognised for fulfilling the criteria of being a “masterpiece of human creative genius, and an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.”

This postcard came from Grzesiek (24 July 2014) Postcrossing.

SW CH-194 Dolton- a small village in S-W England

Dolton is a small village and civil parish in Devon in the South West of England. It has a population of around 900 inhabitants. It is located between the villages of Beaford, Winkleigh and Merton. There are a few small shops and public houses and Dolton is served by one bus service, the 315 between Barnstaple and Exeter.

On the bottom left of the postcard is St Edmund’s, the parish church of Dolton. The Saxon stone font of the church is said to date between 800 and 1000 A.D. It is unique in not having been designed as a conventional font of its period, but made up of two blocks from two different Saxon crosses, likely to have been carved when St. Edmund was alive.

Green, black and white - flag of Devon

This card came from Brit W. (Beedub) (15 July 2014) Swap-bot.  She mentioned that these days the Devon County flag is displayed very prominently in many places. 

Didcot, Oxfordshire

Didcot is a town in Oxfordshire about 10 miles (16 km) south of Oxford. Until 1974 it was in Berkshire but was transferred to Oxfordshire in that year.

This clever postcard is a montage of different photographs of Didcot signposts.  In the centre at the bottom there is a small picture of the Didcot Power Station.

Didcot Power Station is (was) a combined coal and oil power plant (Didcot A Power Station) and a natural-gas power plant (Didcot B Power Station) that supply the National Grid. They are situated immediately adjoining one another. The combined power stations feature a chimney which is one of the taller structures in the UK and six hyperbolic cooling towers, which can be seen from much of the surrounding landscape. 

This structure is very apparent when travellers approach Didcot although the power station had won architectural awards for how well it blends into the landscape.  To some residents (like Lita who sent this postcard) the power station is a familiar sight and will be missed when the explosive demolition of Didcot A occurs in late July 2014.

This postcard came on 29 June 2014 from Lita A. (Postcrossing Direct Swap).

SW BY-175 Cow Tower, Norwich

The Cow Tower is an artillery tower by the River Wensum in Norwich, Norfolk, England. Built between 1398 and 1399 in response to the threat from France and indigenous English rebels, the tower was intended to defend the north-eastern approach to Norwich with hand cannons and bombards. It stood apart from the main city walls, close to the river where its height would have allowed it to fire onto the higher ground opposite the city. The tower was designed to hold a garrison when required and was well furnished, probably using different floors for dining and sleeping.

The circular tower is 11.2 metres (37 ft) across, 14.6 metres (48 ft) high and divided into three storeys. Its walls are 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) thick at the base, with a core of flint stone, faced on the inside and outside with brick; the archaeologist T. P. Smith considers it to feature some "of the finest medieval brickwork" in England. The walls have gunports for the smaller pieces of artillery and the roof would have supported the heavier bombards, with wide embrasures giving the weapons adequate firing space. The Cow Tower was specially designed to support the use of gunpowder artillery.

Unfortunately, the tower is now only a shell as the floors and the roof of the building have been lost.

The postcard came from Megan R. (9 July 2014) Swap-bot.

Edinburgh - capital of Scotland

Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, is the second most populous city in Scotland. Edinburgh is rich in associations with the past and has many historic buildings, including Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate, and an extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th century.  Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town are jointly listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Edinburgh has long been known abroad as a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, the sciences and engineering.

The city hosts the annual Edinburgh International Festival, which is one of many events that run between the end of July and early September each year. The best known of these events are the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

UNESCO has a City of Literature programme which is part of its Creative Cities Network.  This was launched in 2004 and Edinburgh was proclaimed a City of Literature that year.

This postcard was received from sayuri2023 (1 July 2014) Direct Swap Postcrossing.

SW AF-048, SW DU-302 & BE-362815 Tower Bridge, London, UK

Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London. It took 8 years, 5 major contractors and the relentless labour of 432 construction workers to build Tower Bridge.

The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower  ("bascule" comes from the French for "see-saw").  Today, the bascules are still operated by hydraulic power, but since 1976 they have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam.

In this vintage postcard, a steamship with a large funnel can be seen in the Thames.

Tower Bridge is still a busy and vital crossing of the Thames. It is crossed by over 40,000 people (motorists, cyclists and pedestrians) every day. The bridge is on the London Inner Ring Road;

The bascules are raised around 1000 times a year. River traffic is now much reduced, but it still takes priority over road traffic. Today, 24 hours' notice is required before opening the bridge. There is no charge for vessels.

In 1910, the high-level walkways, which were designed so that the public could still cross the bridge when it was raised, were closed down due to lack of use. In 1982, as part of the new Tower Bridge Exhibition, visitors to the bridge could once again enter the walkways, now fully covered, and experience the amazing panoramic views.

One final note:  Tower Bridge is not to be confused with London Bridge which is a different bridge. 

The (first) stunning postcard was sent to me by Laura (mikkledot on Swap-bot) (14 April 2014).
The second postcard came from Ellie P. (17 September 2014) Swap-bot.
The third postcard came from Requel (5 May 2015) Postcrossing.

SW T-030 London - a Muppet postcard

LONDON !  There are so many icons and symbols for London and a normal touristy postcard would most probably be a busy one with multi-views of Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, red London buses, the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, etc

So this well-designed postcard is a real fresh look at London!  It features Kermit the frog in a bearskin hat; Big Ben in the background; red London buses; boats on the Thames and a guitar in British colours reminiscent of the time when British pops ruled the air waves.

Thanks to Neek (neeklette) who found this delightful postcard in the Disney shop in Oxford Street (26 March 2014).

SW Z-040 Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North-east England

Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is around 12 miles (19 km) east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.

The development of Middlesbrough and Saltburn was driven by the discovery of iron stone in the Cleveland Hills, the monies of the Pease family of Darlington, and the development of two railways to transport the minerals.  To the east of the town is the imposing Hunt Cliff, topped by Warsett Hill at 166 metres (545 ft). 
 

Things to do and see in Saltburn:

A forest walk in the Valley Gardens gives access to the Italian Gardens and leads on to the railway viaduct. On the shore in Old Saltburn is a smugglers' museum and the Cleveland Way. In the town there are plenty of Victorian buildings. There is also a thriving local theatre, The 53 Society, and a public library.

Saltburn's attractions include a Grade II renovated pier, the only pleasure pier on the whole of Northeast England and Yorkshire coast.

The Saltburn Cliff Lift is one of the world's oldest water-powered funiculars. After the opening of Saltburn Pier in 1869, it was concluded that the steep cliff walk was deterring people from walking from the town to the pier. The Saltburn tramway was opened a year later and provided transport between the pier and the town. The railway is water-balanced and since 1924 the water pump has been electrically operated.

The Saltburn Miniature Railway is a 15 in (381 mm) gauge railway that runs south from Cat Nab Station close to the beach, for about ½ mile inland to Forest Halt, where there is a woodland walk and the Italian Gardens.

This very colourful postcard was sent by Clare Turner (2 April 2014) Swap-bot.