Postcard of the Month: March 2025

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Pumping out the Cretacre

This Frank Spry postcard, probably from July 1918, shows a vessel with its hold being pumped out alongside the Railway Wharf on the east bank of Littlehampton harbour (the swing bridge can be glimpsed in the background). Part of the craft's name is visible at the rear, along with the wartime code which each merchant vessel on Government duty carried. Cretacre was a steam powered barge built out of concrete at a shipyard on the shores of Poole harbour, using concrete supplied from the Isle of Wight. Concrete was chosen because of the shortage of steel during WW1, and was used for a series of these concrete barges. They were described in detail in the November 1918 issue of the Engineer journal.

An illustration from the article is shown here.

Whether the water ingress was from rough seas in the Channel or from hull leaks is not known. Cretacre was probably part of the regular convoys carrying munitions from Littlehampton to France. Littlehampton was an Admiralty administered port during this period.

Postcard of the Month: February 2025

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The Railway Hotel, Pulborough

This printed postcard, publisher unidentified, was probably produced around or just after WW1. The vehicle on the right indicates this era. The railway bridge in the background crosses the main road and leads to the station. The building faced Station Approach where cattle markets were held every fortnight until the 1950s.

The proprietor Percy Kitchin (wrongly spelt on the card) ran the hotel with his wife for 25 years. Percy was also an enthusiastic garage owner, an early Austin dealer, and responsible for the Swan Garage in Pulborough. He died in 1935. A press obituary recalled how the hotel was a meeting place for farmers from the district attending the markets, and that his interests extended to the garage which was purchased from the family in 1935 to become part of the Dreadnought group of Brighton.

In 1945 the building was renamed The Pulborough Hotel and then became the Water’s Edge in 1966, reflecting the presence of a small inlet from the Arun behind it. This served as a haven for small craft, as shown in the two different views from postcards of the 1960s.

There was also a field between the hotel and the river which, by the 1980s, possessed a rudimentary slipway. This was the original venue for launching boat rallies up the river to Pallingham, organised by the Solent and Arun branch of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA). Those rallies provided the opportunity for my early trips up the Arun in my folding dinghy Frog, starting in 1982. These eventually led to much of the groundwork for this website. More information about Frog can be found here.

The hotel was closed in 1995 and the building demolished in 1997 to be replaced by a housing complex. The remnants of the inlet became a small lagoon within this complex.

Postcard of the Month: January 2025

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Timber for Littlehampton

This Frank Spry postcard offers a view taken from the west bank of the harbour opposite the Baltic Wharf, showing two visiting sailing vessels by the covered area for timber storage.

The handwritten text on the reverse identifies the craft as the barquentine Elisabeth of Marstal on the right with the information that she had delivered timber from Gothenburg on May 6th 1924. More information about Elisabeth of Marstal can be found here.

The other craft on the left is the Swedish four masted auxiliary schooner Margot from Danzig, also with timber arriving on the same date.

The card has a printed label listing Barbara J. Robinson as the collector, together with her address. She was a descendant of local ship owner Joseph Robinson, and it may be his comments on the back of the card.

It is possible that some of the timber delivered may have been used for harbour infrastructure improvements which took place later in the 1920s. Some of this activity can be seen in the other Spry postcard with pile-driving taking place during the rebuilding of the harbour side wharfing, completed in 1929. Although there is no date or text, this card shows a similar style in the printed details and both have the typical embossed angled name on the front identifying the publisher.

Postcard of the Month: November 2024

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Amberley

This is a postcard of a painting by E.W. Hazlehurst (1866-1949) published by A. Vivian Mansell & Co, probably in the 1920s or 1930s. It shows the ruins of the castle and the village pond in the foreground.

More information about Amberley can be found in the Locations section, where reference to the maps on the title page shows that the castle can be seen from the Arun and also from the railway. Amberley parish bordered the river at Houghton Bridge, which is where the railway station is located.

Postcard of the Month: October 2024

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The Children’s Pond, Littlehampton - a very efficient post

This postcard of the Children's Pond in Littlehampton, sent to a Mrs Wright in London, was date stamped in Littlehampton at 11.15am on April 29th, 1908.

It was then re-addressed to Woolpit in Suffolk and date stamped again at 7pm the same day - a testament to the postal service of the time.

The logo of the card's publisher shows that it was Ramsden Brothers of Worthing, who produced many views of Sussex at the time.

Postcard of the Month: September 2024

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Easonian at Harvey’s Yard

The sailing vessel Easonian was originally the Spanish craft Nuestra Senora De Arenzazu of San Sebastian and was purchased by a Scottish syndicate for the Dundee Whaling Industry. She was brought to Harvey's Yard in Littlehampton to be converted and strengthened for service in Arctic waters.

Easonian is seen in this Spry postcard of the yard high up on the slipway in the background, and her Spanish name is still visible on the stern. The sailing barge in the foreground is the Clymping, built here in 1909 and possibly undergoing repairs.

Easonian was relaunched around 1920, registered under the new name in Littlehampton. She was the last sailing vessel of her size to appear on the local register.

In the other postcard by Spry, Easonian is in Littlehampton harbour soon after launch.

Sadly she became a total loss in September 1922 off Kerketen Island, Nunavut in Cumberland Sound on the Canadian seaboard. She caught fire and burned to the waterline. Fortunately the crew were rescued by another Scottish sailing vessel Albert.

Kerketen Island is now one of Canada's historic sites as a significant whaling station for the period from 1857 to 1923.

Postcard of the Month: August 2024

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Burpham Croft and a Railway Fraud

Burpham Croft was previously known as Elm Croft and was home for three women between the 1850s and 1880s; Miss Charlotte Harrison, Mrs. Jessie Munro and her adopted daughter Eleanora Elwin.

Mrs. Munro was the assumed name of Jessie Redpath, the innocent wife of Leopold Redpath. Redpath, a convicted fraudster, had been found guilty of a massive fraud involving shares of the Great North Railway; a notorious crime of the 1850s for which he had been deported to Australia.

All three women are buried close together in St. Mary's churchyard. Both Charlotte Harrison and Jessie Munro funded stained glass windows in the church, and were well respected in the village.

It would be gratifying to know that these women were the figures seen in the garden in the postcard of Burpham Croft, but they most likely pre-dated the photograph.

Further details of the story can be found in the following sources:

‘The King's Cross Fraudster - Leopold Redpath, his Life and Times’ by David A. Hayes and Marian Kamlish (2013).

‘The Stained Glass of Burpham Church’ by Trevor Cooper (2018).

Postcard of the Month: July 2024

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Mr Grinsted of Bury Stores

This John White card, posted from Pulborough to Miss H. Sully in Essex on February 5th 1909, shows the Bury Stores owner, Philip Grinsted, leaning on a fence admiring the view of the Downs from the village. The sender may have worked in the shop, as she mentions "very quiet trade" and that "you would not like to be a shopgirl".

More about Philip Grinsted and Bury Stores can be found here.

Postcard of the Month: March 2024

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Sailing Vessel off Littlehampton

Frank Spry was one of the few postcard publishers who regularly produced work showing vessels under sail, arriving or departing. Sometimes the vessels were heavily laden and low in the water, or on other occasions empty and in ballast riding high out of the water, as shown here. Possibly Frank Spry was aboard ‘Jumna’’ when she provided towage and a pilot in or out of the harbour.

This vessel is not identified by name, although ‘OERNEN’ is written on the back in pencil. The Plimsoll Line can be seen on the ship's side, suggesting she was empty after delivering her cargo to Littlehampton, perhaps with just enough added ballast to maintain stability under sail. The flag shows her to be Danish, possibly from Marstal, where many similar craft were built and operated.

Three crew are visible on deck; one at the helm, the other two preparing the mizzen sail for hoisting. She would have needed every bit of her canvas to keep her under way in the light wind from the west.

The photograph was probably taken in the early 1900s, but more research will be needed to confirm the date and the vessel’s identity. Any further information would be very welcome.

Postcard of the Month: February 2024

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So many Words!

This relatively unremarkable postcard of Toddington, north of Littlehampton, was sent to Miss Bertha Symes, of Collier's Wood. It contains more than two hundred words, mostly legible, not counting the address!

The card reveals a carefully crafted message on the back, some of it written in a simple code. Maybe the sender, George, sought to discourage anyone other than the recipient from reading the content, or perhaps this was a private game that they played.

Toddington was clearly rural at that time, probably best known for its tea rooms which featured on a number of postcards of the period.

This card, published by White & Son, was posted in Littlehampton on October 15th 1907.

Postcard of the Month: January 2024

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Worthing Belle leaving Littlehampton

This is a White & Son card, posted in August 1909, and probably photographed a few years earlier. The excellent picture features some good details of the vessel, including the bridge and steering position behind the funnel. She is positioned by the Nelson steps, with the pub of that name showing behind the mast, and is possibly in the process of loading passengers. The signs on the wall of the building show ‘Lambert and Norris, noted Arundel Ales’ as the brewer. The entrance to the building to the left is labelled the ‘Commercial Hotel’.

The Nelson was originally named the Victory Inn in 1840, the name being changed later to the ‘Nelson and Victory’. When the building was rebuilt around the original structure in 1897, it became ‘The Nelson’.

For more pictures and details of the Worthing Belle, see the entry in the Vessels section under Steam Vessels. Her skipper, Capt. James Trenance, can been found in the Characters section.

Postcard of the Month: December 2023

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Christmas greetings from Pulborough

This view from the Arun shows one of the lime kilns on the left of the photograph. Several of these were situated on the north bank between the river and the backs of properties on Lower Street. A few, in ruins, are still extant but are much overgrown and largely inaccessible. Lime was one of the major cargoes transported by Arun barges and was an important commodity both for farming and industry.

The back of the card back shows Christmas greetings from Hamilton Law to Mr. & Mrs. D.H.J. Hartley. It was posted in Pulborough December 22nd 1907, and redirected from London to Birmingham. Hopefully it arrived in time!

Research reveals that Law and Hartley were contemporaries from 1898 at Clare College Cambridge which may be how they were acquainted.

Hamilton Law (1879 - 1960) declared himself on the census to be a musician, composer, teacher and critic.

David Harvey Johann Hartley (1879 -1955) was a Barrister at Law who had married Kathleen Laura Vyvyan Negus earlier in 1907.

Postcard of the Month: November 2023

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The paddle steamer visiting the harbour most frequently during this period was the Worthing Belle (featured in the Steam Vessels section of this website), and she seems to have had a similar square black wheelhouse in the same position as in this photograph. However, it was removed at some point and was not as prominent as here. Additionally, the Worthing Belle’s bridge was behind the funnel rather than in front of it, and her funnel was thicker and more upright.

The Worthing Belle

P.S. Princess May?

In this framed photograph, the vessel is departing Littlehampton Harbour sometime before WW1. The printing style suggests it is an early White photograph, probably taken from the top of the lighthouse on the short pier at the entrance. The vessel’s name is not shown and a comparison with many other pictures from my collection has failed to prove her identity.

A picture (not shown here) of P.S. Princess May, visiting Bognor Pier c1901 (found on page 143 of Sussex Beach Trades by Michael Langley [Middleton Press 2010]) shows features corresponding closely to this photograph. Press advertisements of the period record Princess May, operated by the Brighton, Worthing & South Coast Steamboat Co. Ltd., making trips to Worthing and Littlehampton in October 1900 (1/-), and also in July and September 1901. The visit to Bognor Pier would have awaited the installation of suitable piling at the pier head, so would have been after June 1901. This is the basis for my suggested identification.

P.S. Princess May appeared in press reports of an incident at the Naval Review of 1902. On 9th February she was involved in a collision with H.M.Torpedo Boat, Danny, causing damage to the latter vessel which was apparently responsible for the occurrence. The paddle steamer's skipper at the time, Captain James Trenance, was praised by passengers for his skill in minimising the seriousness of the collision by his actions. He was well known to trippers locally for his tenure as skipper of the Worthing Belle between 1901 and 1913. Capt Trenance is featured in the Characters section of this website.

Postcard of the Month : October 2023

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Edgar Parsons (b.1891) joined HMS Agincourt on 30th May 1916, just a day before the vessel was involved in the battle of Jutland between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet. Although not conclusive, the German fleet never subsequently challenged the British Fleet, so it could be said to be a turning point in the war at sea. It must have been something of a baptism of fire for the wireman!

Built by Armstrongs of Newcastle, HMS Agincourt was an unusual ship. She was originally ordered by Brasil but was sold to Turkey while still under construction. When the First World War broke out in 1914, and it looked as though Turkey would ally with Germany, the British decided to requisition the ship. HMS Agincourt would add to its own fleet, helping to retain the superiority in numbers of Dreadnoughts over the enemy. As the Turkish crew had already arrived to take over the near completed vessel, an understandable diplomatic furore resulted and it has long remained a source of contention.

The story of the ship was told in the book The Big Battleship by Richard Hough, published in 1966. HMS Agincourt was the largest of the breed and had the most big guns, with seven twin turrets of 12 inch bore, each named after the days of the week.

At Jutland she fired these in broadsides and the result was said to be awe-inspiring, if not entirely accurate. In all she fired 144 rounds of 12 inch, and 11 rounds of 6 inch from her secondary battery. It is believed that some hits were spotted, although the visibility was very poor. This was caused by the multitude of funnels gushing black smoke from their massive coal and oil burners, plus deliberate smoke screens compounded by the declining light of late afternoon. Following heavy losses on both sides, the German High Seas Fleet beat a retreat through the night and there were no more such clashes. After the War. HMS Agincourt was relegated to the Reserve fleet in 1919, and scrapped in 1922.

Edgar Parsons survived WW1 and left the Navy, returning to his role as a telephone Inspector.

The River Adur, near Bramber

This is not an Arun Valley postcard but, instead, features the River Adur just to the east. It provides a fascinating story, so I couldn't resist including it on this website. The publisher was Harold H. Camburn of Tunbridge Wells in his Wells Series.

The card was posted in 1917 to Wireman Edgar Parsons, serving on the battleship HMS Agincourt. “Wireman” was a naval rank associated with radio telegraphy which was then a relatively novel addition to the service but already playing an important role in communication between ships. The text refers to Mother and all spending the afternoon on the river, so perhaps they were aboard one of the craft shown in the picture.

Postcard of the Month: September 2023

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Littlehampton Sunday School

I couldn't resist including this card, if only for the hats alone! Dated 10th July 1912, it shows a Sunday School group in Arundel Park.

A handwritten message on the back, from S.C. Barrett, identifies the date and place, and that this is Littlehampton Sunday School at a congregational gathering in Arundel Park which seems to have been a popular venue for group gatherings. Perhaps they travelled by river but it’s more likely that they went by train, as the group would have been quite large and the railway was a cheaper option.

The photograph is by F.W. Spry, who is perhaps better remembered for his ship photographs. However, this one is a reminder that he was much more versatile.. Large group pictures would have generated a useful income, with sales guaranteed, although it would have involved travel from his base in Surrey Street. The number 3 on the card shows that this is part of a series taken on that day.

Postcard of the Month: August 2023

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Steam Ship entering Littlehampton

The identity of this vessel is unknown, but the text on the back of the card gives the date as 1st June 2015. On this date, a press report tells us that a wartime ferry service to France was inaugurated. It seems likely that the picture shows the first vessel on this service entering the harbour and, given the date, it’s possible that the name has been obscured for operational reasons. It’s perhaps surprising that, one year into WW1, boats are still available to hire, but this was the reality recorded on many postcards of the period.

The card was published by William Wareham as printed on the back; a well known local photographer and publisher whose activities are described in detail on this website’s Littlehampton section.

Postcard of the Month: July 2023

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‘Concerned’ at Bury

This was previously in the collection of the late Rendell Williams, author of the Sussex Postcards website. He attributed it to David Dinnage of Amberley, who published a selection of postcards in the early 1900s with scenes from Bury and other adjacent villages.

This card shows two Bury residents who are not named but their ages are given as 95 and 50. The subject of their discussion is unknown; it could be the weather, cost of living, or even politics.

Although the card was unposted (so no definite date is recorded) some genealogical research has suggested possible names as Mrs. Eliza Andrews and Henry Henly. The latter may be identified from other Bury cards. See this website’s Bury section , where a possible link between Eliza Andrews and Henry Henly is established. If this is so, then the ages shown would place the picture in 1906. This would be consistent with David Dinnage as the photographer and publisher.

Postcard of the Month: June 2023

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The Arun from above Southwoods, looking towards Arundel

This card was posted in Littlehampton on September 1st 1908 and headlined Lansdowne (publisher unknown). Lansdowne was a well known guest house, often identified by senders and shown on postcards.

The card was sent to Miss Margretson, Aldgate, London. The text mentions that "the weather is rather rough and the lifeboat was called out during the night just off Selsea Bill."

Research into press reports revealed that the incident in question was the Paddle Steamer Queen, returning from Brighton to Southampton, which spent the night disabled off the Bill. The Selsey lifeboat was launched to rescue the women and children, and landing them on the beach or at Littlehampton. The remainder of the passengers remained aboard as the vessel was towed back to safety. For the full story of the incident, click here.

One of the Arun trip boats known to carry Lansdowne guests was the May Queen. She is shown here moored to the bank of the Arun with Amberley chalk pits in the distance. At the tiller is Harry Healey her owner, brother of Arthur Healey who operated trip boats in Littlehampton including “Norfolk” (see Vessel Incidents section).

Postcard of the Month: May 2023

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Burrell Traction Engine Rig at Houghton

This appears to be an amateur photograph printed on a postcard format. It is dated 17/8/35 on the reverse, and the rig identified as owned by James Penfold Ltd. of Arundel, a well known local operator at the time. The Engine is said to be a Burrell 3201 threshing engine of 10 tons, with a single crank compound steam engine, registration BP5919.

The rig is parked opposite the George and Dragon - hot work operating such machines! The building to the right is Houghton House, occupied earlier in the century by Jose Weiss, artist and glider pioneer.

For more on the exploits of Jose Weiss, see the Houghton video, and also the Postcards of the Month for February 2023 and May 2022.

Postcard of the Month: April 2023

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Zebrina: Mystery becomes Legend.

Although this photograph was not taken locally, Zebrina visited Littlehampton on a number of occasions and is featured in our website. She is seen here unloading with the help of a crane at a jetty in Sheerness, some time before 1906 when the card was posted. The dock workers on the jetty give a good appreciation of the relatively small size of the craft, despite her three masts.

The ship is well known for the mystery of the crew of five’s disappearance in October 1917, when she was found abandoned aground on the French coast with some sails still set. A number of books, and recently websites, have included her story alongside other unexplained maritime events. She has been referred to as the ‘Marie Celeste of WW1’ but some of the recent accounts have called her a ‘Ghost Ship’. Sadly, it was the crew who might be regarded as the ghosts.

As the story evolved, Zebrina became something of a legend. It also seems to have acquired some doubtful claims. For instance, that the crew numbered twenty three (rather than the five who were recorded as being aboard) which suggests that she was a secret ‘Q’ ship for submarine hunting, manned by the Navy. It is also suggested that she fell prey to a German U-Boat which removed the crew, but left her to sail on. These suppositions are not supported by the log book which was still aboard the derelict vessel when found. The most likely explanation is probably given by the author, David Masters, who investigated the case for his book When Ships Go Down, published in 1932. He suggests that the crew were overwhelmed and swept overboard in a storm, leaving the craft to drift ashore.

More details of the fateful voyage can be seen here.