We know that this photo was taken before 1902, as the shop on the left was still owned by Gregory the bootmaker who left in that year. There are two date stamps, for Arundel and Dunmow in Essex, both December 1904. There is no postage stamp, but a ‘1d’ printed figure indicates that this was the amount due on delivery, presumably added with the second date stamp. Hopefully the senders did not omit stamps on all their greetings!

The senders were Capt. & Mrs. Skeet of Crossbush, near Arundel, and the recipients were Rev. & Mrs. Maryon-Wilson of Great Canford Rectory, Essex. Captain Skeet was Francis Skeet who lived in Crossbush House at the time; a war hero from the Crimea and subsequently the author of a history of Angmering, where he eventually lived. The Reverend George Maryon-Wilson (1834-1906) was the son of Sir John Maryon-Wilson (1802-1876), the 9th Baronet in his line and a prominent landowner of the time.

This view of Arundel has been the subject of many postcards since then, documenting the changes to the bridge and shops with the castle always prominent in the background.