Most northern towns and cities have a municipal park a little like the one illustrated in this old picture postcard of Hull. Grand gates, parallel paths, fine prospects of a municipal drinking fountain - all are key elements of any corporation park. Interesting as the view is, it is the message on the reverse which intrigues me.
The card is addressed to Miss E Taylor at a Children's Outfitter shop in Crook, County Durham. The date appears to be the 8th June 1910, but the only E Taylor I can find at that address at the time is a five year old girl called Elizabeth. The message is as follows:-
We arrived safely after a very wet journey- rain all the way to York. Please to say we are no worse for the experience and trust that you did not take cold. We hope the next run you have will be much pleasanter. We also hope Mrs W is still improving and that all the rest of you are keeping well. Kind love to all. AK
One phrase stood out when I first read the message - "we hope the next run you have will be much pleasanter". Even when I was young, trips out in a motor car would be referred to as "a run". And given that the journey from Durham down to Hull had left the writer "very wet", we can only assume it was undertaken in an open-top motor car. Let us hope the trip out in the rain didn't put young Miss Taylor off motor travel for the rest of her life.
Thank you for putting together all those clues.
ReplyDeleteIt seems an odd sort of thing to write to a 5 year old don't you think?
ReplyDeleteOh. Not the Liz Taylor of whom I was thinking, I must say...
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