The Guildhall, London, England
St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England
Like some of the rest of you I have been staying up at night to watch the London Summer Olympic Games. Since I did have these two postcards sent from London in 1907 I thought it might be a good time to share them.
As mentioned previously, early 1900s postcards were often used for more than just notes such as as calling cards, invitations and as advertisements. Edward Cheasty was a friend of I.C. Lee but he was also the owner of a haberdashery (men’s clothing store) located on 2nd Avenue and James Street in downtown Seattle. Mr. Cheasty made regular trips abroad to purchase and order items to be sold in his store. On at least one such trip he sent a series of postcards to I.C. Lee with a little note at the top stating where he was, that he was buying novelties for his shop and inviting Lee to come into the store and see these new items.
The top card of The Guildhall was sent in January 1907, the lower card was sent in September 1907 and they could very well represent more than one trip to England. The cards are divided with a space for a message and address on the backside but the United States did not start doing that until December 1907 so Mr. Cheasty has continued to write his message across the picture on the front side as was the custom and the law in the States.
Here is just a little historical trivia about The Guildhall—During Roman times there was a large amphitheater on the site the partial remains of which are on public display in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery. When I first thought of “guild” I thought of the various trades that had their own professional guilds or organizations not “gild” meaning money or gold. Although I guess “trade” does suggest money or gold as well. However, it is thought that the term Guildhall refers to the Anglo-Saxon word gild-hall or a place where taxes were collected. The first mention of the London Guildhall is dated 1128. The current building was begun about 1411 and is the only stone building not belonging to the Church that survived the 1666 Great Fire of London. It is part of a large complex that contained medieval crypts, a library, and a print room.
Several historic trials have been held there such as that of Lady Jane Grey. It also contains memorials to many famous persons including Admiral Lord Nelson and Winston Churchill. Today administration offices for the City of London are no longer housed in the older building but are located in a modern building immediately north of the Guildhall. The historic interiors of the Guildhall itself are open to the public once a year. In addition to the Guildhall Art Gallery there are also the Clockmakers’ Museum and the Guildhall Library. One of the events still held there is the Lord Mayor’s Banquet.
For more information see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildhall,_London
Very well known, St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most famous sights of London and has been a part of the London skyline for 300 years. It is located on the highest point in London, Ludgate Hill. There was another church on this site dating from 604 AD that was remodeled and rebuilt several times the most recent replacement in 1677 as part of a major rebuilding program following the Great Fire of 1666. The architect at that time was Sir Christopher Wren. St. Paul’s is still a busy, working church with daily services and where Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, 80th birthday and the Diamond Jubilee services were held. There are supposed to be postcard images of the dome standing amid the smoke and fire of the Blitz of World War II that were used as morale boosters during the war.
For more information about St. Paul’s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral
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