This week's pictures from the past

Here we have "Newtown from Barnfields", giving a nice panoramic view over the Mid Wales town. This is a Valentine & Sons of Dundee postcard and has a date written on the back - 24/8/60.

That would seem to suggest that this view dates from 1960, although it would be dangerous to assume that. Can any of our Newtown readers, by studying features on the photo, confirm that that is a likely date?

Picture: Sally Anne Richards.nextpage

This is Chetwynd End, Newport, on a postcard franked on July 6, 1906.

The message on the back was: "Arrived safe. Hope all will be right for you. Miss F. delighted to see me. Sends her fond love." T.E.H. (these initials are difficult to read).

It was posted to L.C. Holland Esq, 19 Carnarvon Street, Hollinwood, Lancashire.

Picture: Ray Farlow. nextpage

These folk were waiting at Bucknell railway station for a train to take them to the 1912 Shrewsbury Flower Show. As you can see, they were in their fancy clothes for the occasion.

Note particularly the trio of ladies on the far right, all sporting extravagant hats which were very much the fashion of the day.

This photo is in one of two albums of photographs almost all featuring Bucknell area loaned to Shrewsbury historian David Trumper by Margaret Evans, of Wenlock Road, Shrewsbury.

Her maternal grandfather, William Smith, owned the Bucknell village stores, Smith & Son, and her paternal grandfather, James Evans, was the Bucknell signalman for many years.nextpage

Why did Shirley Cottage at Whixall merit a postcard all to itself? After all, there doesn't appear to be anything extra special about the property.

Well, one reason might be that in the past postcards were used conversationally, very much as we use telephone calls today, which meant that postcard subjects were not just the "touristy" things which we nowadays expect, but were wide and varied, ranging from individual buildings, to fetes and local news events.

This postcard from the collection of our regular contributor Ray Farlow is undated, but is perhaps from before World War One.

Incidentally the sign above the front door simply says "Shirley Cottage".nextpage

There are a number of grand country mansions around the Shifnal area, and this is one of them - Haughton Hall.The photo is undated, but we may well be going back to around 1920 or even earlier.

The hall still stands today, of course. This photo was loaned to us by Mrs Joan Davies of Madeley, but is a postcard which belonged to her late brother-in-law Les Davies of Shifnal.nextpage

There's a minor mystery about this picture which shows staff of 29 Maintenance Unit, RAF High Ercall.And that is this - why is there an empty chair in the front row?

This photo was loaned to us by Mrs Phyllis Swift, of Wrockwardine Wood, whose late husband Frank Swift is second from left on the back row.

He worked there from 1941 to 1956 with the instrument section. The picture probably dates from the early to mid 1950s.