England by Rail Book of Postcards

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

1. Leonard Richmond (British, 1889–1965), Royal Tunbridge Wells, 1932
2. Blossom Wood, Royal Windsor, c. 1935
3. Edward McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890–1954), Great Western to Devon’s Moors, 1933
4. Clodagh Sparrow (British, 1905–1957), Ullswater / The Lake District for Holidays, 1938
5. Herbert Alker Tripp (British, 1883–1954), Cornwall, 1938
6. Leonard Campbell Taylor (British, 1874–1969), The Peak District / Peveril Castle, 1924
7. Tom Purvis (British, 1888–1959), Scarborough by L.N.E.R., c. 1936
8. Stobbs, Norfolk, 1959
9. F. Gregory Brown (British, 1887–1941), Wembley, 1925
10. Frank H. Mason (British, 1875–1965), Withernsea, 1930
11. Unknown designer, Blackpool
12. Norman Wilkinson (British, 1878–1971), London / Whitehall from St. James’s Park, c. 1930
13. Fred Taylor (British, 1875–1963), Whitby, c. 1930
14. Leonard Richmond (British, 1889–1965), Dover, 1931
15. Frank H. Mason (British, 1876–1965), Ullswater / English Lake-Land, c. 1930
16. Ellis Martin (British, 1881–1977), The Cornish Riviera, 1924
17. Frank Newbould (British, 1887–1950), “The Silver Jubilee,” 1935
18. Leonard Campbell Taylor (British, 1874–1969), Droitwich / The Brine Baths Spa, 1925
19. Frank H. Mason (British, 1876–1965), Havens and Harbours on the L.N.E.R. / King’s Lynn, 1931
20. Herry Perry (Heather Perry) (British, 1893–1962), London Thou Art the Flower of Cities All, 1929
21. Clodagh Sparrow (British, 1905–1957), Live in Kent and Be Content, 1937
22. Edward McKnight Kauffer (American, 1890–1954), Near Waltham Cross by Tram, 1924
23. BAN, Scarborough
24. Edward Wesson (British, 1910–1983), Huntingdonshire, c. 1955
25. Unknown designer, Torquay, 1927
26. Frank Newbould (British, 1887–1951), London, 1939
27. John Macpherson, The Cornish Riviera, 1925
28. Reginald Edward Higgins (British, 1877–1933), Filey—For the Family, 1925
29. Claude Henry Buckle (British, 1905–1973), Buxton, 1930
30. Henry George Gawthorn (British, 1879–1941), Walton on Naze