England’s railways were once a rainbow of liveries. But government management during World War I showed the need for greater efficiency, and by 1923 some 120 companies became the Big Four: Southern Railway; Great Western Railway; London and North Eastern Railway; and London, Midland and Scottish Railway. All had lines fanning out from London to their designated region and tried to attract riders with posters advertising pastoral scenes, charming villages, or flashing views of the capital. New locomotives continued to impress and trains became ever faster, but rail travel declined as the automobile prospered and the prewar glamour eventually faded. Profits were few and only the Southern Railway could invest, electrifying some of its commuter lines. By 1948 the railways were nationalized. The posters in this book of postcards compose a snapshot of interwar rail travel within England, a romantic vision of sophisticated country escapes and city grandeur.
Pomegranate’s books of postcards contain up to thirty top-quality reproductions bound together in a handy, artful collection. Easy to remove and produced on heavy card stock, these stunning postcards are a delight to the sender and receiver. Postcards are oversized and may require additional postage.
Images
Leonard Richmond (British, 1889–1965), Royal Tunbridge Wells, 1932
Blossom Wood, Royal Windsor, c. 1935
Edward McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890–1954), Great Western to Devon’s Moors, 1933
Clodagh Sparrow (British, 1905–1957), Ullswater / The Lake District for Holidays, 1938
Herbert Alker Tripp (British, 1883–1954), Cornwall, 1938
Leonard Campbell Taylor (British, 1874–1969), The Peak District / Peveril Castle, 1924
Tom Purvis (British, 1888–1959), Scarborough by L.N.E.R., c. 1936
Stobbs, Norfolk, 1959
F. Gregory Brown (British, 1887–1941), Wembley, 1925
Frank H. Mason (British, 1875–1965), Withernsea, 1930
Unknown designer, Blackpool
Norman Wilkinson (British, 1878–1971), London / Whitehall from St. James’s Park, c. 1930
Fred Taylor (British, 1875–1963), Whitby, c. 1930
Leonard Richmond (British, 1889–1965), Dover, 1931
Frank H. Mason (British, 1876–1965), Ullswater / English Lake-Land, c. 1930
Ellis Martin (British, 1881–1977), The Cornish Riviera, 1924
Frank Newbould (British, 1887–1950), “The Silver Jubilee,” 1935
Leonard Campbell Taylor (British, 1874–1969), Droitwich / The Brine Baths Spa, 1925
Frank H. Mason (British, 1876–1965), Havens and Harbours on the L.N.E.R. / King’s Lynn, 1931
Herry Perry (Heather Perry) (British, 1893–1962), London Thou Art the Flower of Cities All, 1929
Clodagh Sparrow (British, 1905–1957), Live in Kent and Be Content, 1937
Edward McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890–1954), Near Waltham Cross by Tram, 1924
BAN, Scarborough
Edward Wesson (British, 1910–1983), Huntingdonshire, c. 1955
Unknown designer, Torquay, 1927
Frank Newbould (British, 1887–1951), London, 1939
John Macpherson, The Cornish Riviera, 1925
Reginald Edward Higgins (British, 1877–1933), Filey—For the Family, 1925
Claude Henry Buckle (British, 1905–1973), Buxton, 1930
Henry George Gawthorn (British, 1879–1941), Walton on Naze