The library has acquired a collection of seaside postcards as part of the Nic Costa Archive. These postcards date from the turn of the 20^th century and include images of seaside resorts and piers from around the UK. These postcards not only provide a snapshot of seaside holidays before the first world war but include images of some of the historic piers that no longer exist today such as the West Pier, Brighton and the West End Pier, Morecombe.

Postcards provided a cheap and efficient way of communicating short messages to family and friends before the age of the home telephone. Now with the immediacy of WhatsApp to share holiday snaps, relatives can experience our holidays real time and the impetus to send postcards with pictures of our holiday destination, a few scribbled words and the well-worn phrase “Wish you were here” has gone.

Here are some of the postcards in the collection:

A postcard of Broadstairs Jetty sent to Mr W.G. Catsford of Leytonstone from his daughter records her stay at 1, Adelaide Villas in August 1912: “We have had a good day yesterday, though caught in the rain when returning home. Went into Margate last night – should not like to stay there. Met in Broadstairs the people who sit parallel with us in church. ‘Tis a glorious morning. The boys were delighted with their cards” – MB.

On a postcard from Folkestone, Twiggie writes to Vera Geller of Hackney Road, London: “Just a card to let you know I am still alive, and having a nice time down here. The weather is grand. I have been out early in the mornings several times. Now don’t work too hard, with love.”

The person who bought this postcard of The Pier, Deal, was having so much fun that they didn’t have time to write it.

You can read more about the history of Kent’s piers and seaside resorts at Kent Maps Online. You may also enjoy the South East Archive of Seaside Photography (SEAS).

To share the images more widely, student volunteers are adding them to Wikimedia Commons. Second year English Language and Communication student, Holly Myers has been adding Blackpool postcards to the site and next week she hopes to add Brighton.

A full inventory of the 250 postcards will be published on the library archives and special collections page soon.

We hope these postcards have provided cheer on a cold winter’s day!