Do not ask me to come home, I am at Clacton

I have recently returned from my summer holidays in the UK visiting family and friends and as usual, I came home to Rome with a new clutch of British vintage postcards in my suitcase! I'll share my new finds over the coming months on this blog, but before the summer hols finally draw to a close for kids in Britain I wanted to kick off with this absolutely stunning seaside postcard celebrating that most English of seaside resorts Clacton-on-Sea.

Red, yellow and blue dots

Situated on the Essex coast, with its sandy beaches, traditional pleasure pier and arcades, and during its heyday, a Butlins holiday camp too, Clacton it is still a popular day trip destination for Londoners today. The postmark on this postally used postcard is unclear, but it carries a red 1d (penny) George V stamp. Whilst the 1d red stamp was in use from 1st January 1912 until 1934, the postage rate for postcards didn't increase to one penny until 3rd June 1918, which most likely places this postcard somewhere in the 1920s. How strange to think that Clacton-on-Sea had, in fact, only been founded as a seaside town half a century earlier in 1871.

There is no indication of the publisher other than the words “F. M. Series” on the reverse of the card and it was printed using a simple, yet effective palette of red, yellow, and blue dots and stippled areas that vary in weight. Presumably the location could be swapped for any seaside location – this chirpy chap, with his red bucket and collection of seashells, would clearly be happy on any beach!

Check out the Vintage Postcard Store for more Vintage Seaside Postcards!