Historic Lake District Postcards Collection Unveiled Online

A collection of historic postcards from the Lake District, described as a “treasure trove,” has been discovered and made accessible online for public viewing. This collection, comprising 140 items, was located by Nigel Wilkinson, who serves as the managing director of Lake Windermere Cruises, among the possessions of his father, Ralph. The postcards span a period from the early 1900s to the 1980s, and a portion of them were created by the renowned Keswick-based photographer George Perry Abraham. Mr Wilkinson remarked, “It’s a wonderful, nostalgic window into Windermere’s past”. He clarified that he had no prior knowledge of the collection until he encountered it during the process of organizing his father’s belongings. He stated, “He has failing memory and has moved into a care village with my mum.” He added, “We have quite an extensive collection of postcards in the archive but there are many in my dad’s collection we have never seen before.” According to his son, Ralph Wilkinson, who is currently 87 years old, possessed a lifelong affection for the Lake District and authored a book titled Touring Cumbria and The Lake District: A Motorist’s Guide in 1985. A majority of these postcards feature depictions of Windermere, recognized as England’s longest lake. Furthermore, they display other sites, points of interest, and accommodations within the Lake District, with some including messages penned by tourists visiting the region. His son characterized the postcards as “a real treasure trove for anyone who has an affection for the area”. Windermere Lake Cruises has undertaken the digitization of this collection, making it available for online viewing.