Exhibition showcases historic Frome postcards

An exhibition of historic Frome postcards is on display at the town hall, featuring images dating back to 1904.

The exhibition has been launched by local resident Lockhart Murdoch, who has collected 80 postcards from Frome and surrounding areas.

He said, “I have gathered a whole collection of postcards from flea markets, eBay and charity shops since moving to Frome eight years ago. Collecting postcards is one of my passions and I felt like sharing it with other people.”

Lockhart, who is co-chair of Frome Festival, said the town has been popular with postcard photographers for more than 100 years. Postcards in the display date from 1904, 1910 and the 1970s.

Scenes featured in the postcards include Cheap Street and the Market Place. Lockhart said, “There are some colour ones of Willow Vale; that is a subject that has appealed to photographers over the years.

“People may even see their own houses in some of the postcards; there are four postcards of North Parade.”

The first official postcards were issued by the British Post Office in 1870. These were known as ‘plain correspondence’ cards. Picture postcards were issued 20 years later.

Lockhart said the sending of postcards is now largely a thing of the past. “It is a shame that people have got out of the habit of sending them,” he said. “You could go on holiday somewhere and get a postcard for 50 pence and a stamp for 60 pence; it is not like that now.”

The exhibition is on display in Frome Town Hall from Monday to Friday until 30th June. It was opened by Frome Mayor Cllr Mark Dorrington on 9th June.