Postcards
of Sunderland Point
Gallery
This is our collection of postcards dating from the 1900s to the 1970s. Only cards created for writing and posting are included. They are arranged by date and by location at the Point to make the assembly and viewing of cards easier.
As we have received copies of the same card from different contributors, we have decided to list all those who generously shared cards rather than attribute individually.
Contributors: Dorothy Calverly, Alan Smith, the Gilchrist family, Bill Morris, Lynne Levey, and Stephen Loxam. Also from the collections of Harold Gardner, Hugh Cunliffe and Wilton Atkinson. Red Rose collection, Lancashire County Council, and Lancaster City Museums
Some of the cards may appear identical, but they are not - the differences will be accounted for in an accompanying text.
Dating the postcards is challenging. The date a card was sent is often later than its original publication date, in one case, twenty years later. For the gallery, we estimated the date by checking the postmark and examining features of the village, such as whether it predates or postdates the construction of Dolphin House. Sometimes, we recognise people in the photographs, which aids dating. Cards were often produced in series, with distinctive writing or type styles. When we identify a card from a series with a postmark, we can assign that date to the entire group.
Matthews of Bradford produced many Sunderland Point postcards, mainly in the 1920s and 1930s, sometimes ‘recycling’ older photographs onto newer cards.
We encourage any comments on our dating.
More importantly, if you have a card of Sunderland Point not shown in the gallery, we would be tremendously pleased to see a copy.
Hall End and Fishing Nets
1. pre 1905. Suggested by the wavy cross to the 't' in the script. Another card with the same script is postmarked 1905
2. c1916 distinctive script found on another card dated 1916. Note the wooden fence.
4. c1920 Wooden rather than ship's rail. Early Matthews Bradford card
3. c1920 but before 1924 when the wooden rail around 21 and 22 was replaced by an ex-ships chain.
6. c1930 Matthews Bradford card
5. c1928 date stamped on rear. A card published by Arthur Palin of Overton.
7. c1930 dated by the script
8. c1940s same view as 7 but with later white edge to the card.
9. c1930 dated by script and growth on the Cotton Tree. Possible Bert Smith's haaf net
10. c1940s identifed by the 'White edge' Matthews Bradford series.
11. c1950s Script suggests date from this period
12. 1950s identified by script and clothing
13. 1950s dated as card 12, photo taken at the same time.
14. Late 1950s Bert Smith at nets.
15. 1950s window above doorway to the Reading Room has been removed
16. 1910s (Query is this a card or just a photo)
Second Terrace
1. c1905 dated as Dolphin House, or the porch and bay window at house 14 not yet built. Later date stamped 1905. Distinctive crude script. Note man sitting on the wall to the right of the greens.
2. c1905 identical photo to 1, except the man sitting on the stone wall has gone.
3. 1905 A coloured version of the same image, a change of script
4. 1905 Same photo, another change of script.
5. Pre-1905 note with wavy 't' in title. Known to date pre-1905 from another card.
6. Pre-1908 photo but with later title, date unknown.
7. c1914 date by a distinctive script. Dolphin House appears newly built
8. c1916 dated by script, part of a set where another card has a 1916 postmark
9. circa late 1920s. An Arthur Palin of Overton card
10. c 1930s view of Second Terrace, Matthews of Bradford card with distinctive script.
11. c1930s, probably early in the decade. Matthews Bradford card
12. c1927 Periot Players outside the Reading Room (Bert Smith bottom right).
13. Early 1930s Matthews Bradford, one of a set of eight cards. Identified by the people shown on the card. Names all known.
14. 1930s dated by script and sent by Bert Smith, then living in Multum
15. 1930s, same script as 14
16. Late 1930s white edge card and Bert Smith on Multum steps.
17. Same photo as 16, but with a change of title and a clearer image. A girl can be seen standing in front of house 16 (just below Bert Smith).
18. 1940s white edge card
19. Arnold Townley, Dorothy, boy unknown, c1940s. The card may have been published by Arnold to sell in their shop (number 16)
20. Late 1950s script and growth of Cotton Tree.
21. Late 1950s, the Bay window at the Reading Room entrance has been removed.
22. c1960s The bathhouse is now a garage
Gravesite, the Lane and Dolphin House
1. Pre-1910 dated by a collector
2. c1914 dated by printed script
3. c1914 Script and Dolphin House newly built
4. c1914 - date stamp on rear and Dolphin House
5. c1920s Dated by the water buts at Upsteps Cottage and the seat by Temperance Hotel
6. 1920s, early Matthews, Bradford, card identified by script. Hugh Cunliffe is on top of the steps. Note the seat by the Temperance Hotel, now gone.
7. 1920s dated by script
8. c1930 part of the Matthews Bradford group of eight. The Summer House and piggery.
9. 1930s part of the Matthews Bradford group of eight.
9. Gravesite 1930s? The photo appears to be a close-up from card 6. Possibly later published, with a white edge and printed script.
10. 1960s? The Summer House.
First Terrace
1. c1905 dated by script. Note spelling mistake in Sund(e)rland, Possible John Walker photograph.
2. c1905 Variant of 1. The script is very crude.
3. 1905. Third varient of same photo. It appears each card was written individually.
4. pre-1905 dated by script in a series (wavy cross to 't') with another card postmarked 1905
5. c1914 dated by script 'The Moorings'
6. c1916 Temperance Hotel, dated by script and postmark in the series.
7. c1916 dated by script. But it could be an older photo. Possible John Walker. The flag flying suggests the 1911 coronation of George V.
8. c1930 dated by script
9. c1930s, same photo as six, but now with a white edge. Difficult to date, possibly continually published through the 1940s into the 1950s. One of the most common SP cards.
10. early 1930s dated by script
11. c1930 part of the Mathews Bradford group of eight.
12. 1930s Arthur Palin of Overton card
13. 1930s dated by script
14. 1930s Arthur Palin of Overton card
15. c1940s significant growth of the tree beyond number 7.
16. 1940s dated by the script
17. 1970s Hugh Cunliffe photograph. Gardner's pilot boat. The telephone box is seen on the first Terrace.
18. 1970s Hugh Cunliffe photograph, set of two with previous card.
19: Date unknown 1960s Flagpost outside number seven still in place.
Gravel Cottage and the Causeway
1. pre-1905 dated by script
2. c1910 A visiting char-a-banc?
3. c1914 dated by script
4. c1920s? Best guess - dated by dress.
5. Early 1930s dated by script and condition of road! A card published by 'Judges', a major producer of postcards based in Hastings, Sussex.
6. c1937 (road has the new metalled surface)
7. Same photo and date, c1937, as number 6. Change of printed title and white edge.
8. c1932 postmarked and part of Matthews of Bradford group of eight
9. c1932 dated by postmark
10. 1930s part of Matthews of Bradford group of eight
11. Dated to the 1930s by knowing the names of the children on the road. In two groups here.
12. 1930s variant of 11, now a group of eight
13. 1930s variant of 12 now coloured
14. Early 1930s A card published by 'Judges' a major producer of postcards based in Hastings, Sussex.
14. Early 1930s Bert Smith (left) and Arnold Townley, part of the Matthews, Bradford group of 8.
16. 1930s dated by script
17. 1930s dated by script
18. Late 30s dated by white edge.
19. 1940s dated by script
20. 1940s dated by script. An ex-lifeboat?
21. c1950s Gardner's pier, built when he was at the Anchorage (Peggy on the river)
From a distance, multi-views and others
1. c1900s not clear enough to be certain but no Dolphin House.
2. c1910 dated by script
3. later 1930s white edge to card
4. 1930s Matthews Bradford, the group of eight 'multi-view'
5. 1930s Dated by script
6. 1930s 'Sue' at the Isle of Man, not an SP postcard, but of interest. The yacht was visiting when the photograph was taken. Also the card was sent to Jessie Townley on Second Terrace (number 16).
7. 1930s Plover Scar Lighthouse dated by script
8. 1950s Multi-view dated by Second Terrace image.
9. 1980s multi-view Dated by First Terrace photograph - the telephone box has been removed. On Second Terrace, Cotton Tree barn has been renovated.
10. 1980s multi-view of locality. SP in the bottom right corner.
11. Sunderland Brows farm building, date unknown.