Ballingdon Bridge, Sudbury, England, ca 1911-1920s
This black & white, used, postcard has a cancelation but no complete date. It features a photograph of Ballingdon Bridge in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. J. G. Payn is identified as the printer at the lower left corner on the front of the card. The card has a divided back and a green halfpenny stamp with the profile of King George V. Most used postcards have had the stamps removed by stamp collectors. As can be seen, the dark cancellation mark on this one dominates the stamp. Maybe that is why it was left on the card.
lHalfpenny stamp
The Ballingdon Bridge crosses over the River Stour. The village of Ballingdon grew up adjacent to the bridge and is now in the parish of Sudbury. The bridge dates back to the 13th century or possibly earlier. The bridge is still the only crossing of the river for several miles. The River Stour is 47 miles or 76 km long and forms most of the boundary between Suffolk on the north and Essex on the south. In 1705 this river was one of the first improved waterways in England with mandated navigation rights.
Ballingdon Hall, a large house, was moved half a mile up Ballingdon Hill in 1972 when a housing development was being built near its original site. The event was watched by 10,000 people. There is a link below to a short YouTube video by Tim Leggett showing part of the move. Coincidentally, the postcard is addressed to a Miss Leggett, Bridge House, Three Bridges, Sussex.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballingdon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Stour,_Suffolk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xM3XzFjoq4
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