Postcards by W. H. Applebee of Ashford, Middlesex and H. P. Co. My research so far into H. P. Co has been very frustrating to say the least - they produced beautiful real photo postcards of Hounslow, Heston, Hayes and Cranford for a very short period (c1914), but left no clues on their postcards as to who they were. Postcards by W. H. Applebee are well known (at least they are to me).
This week's Sepia Saturday blog is about trains (or model trains), why not take a look.
Click the postcards below to enlarge. No 'now' pictures for this post - Google Street View does show the area near Hayes station but it is too difficult to match up with any of these postcards. If you want to have a wander around this area in Google Street View click this link.
A nice collection of postcards which give a nice impression of the feel of Hayes during its changes, although I note that the shots are pretty bereft of people.
ReplyDeleteInteresting companies - gramophones and stamps! The hayes station certainly went thru some changes.
ReplyDeleteNancy
As ususal I prefer the ones that show the people. The travellers and workers bring the shots alive.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting; I enjoyed the pictures and the history. A railroad could make or break a town (if they didn't get one after all).
ReplyDeleteKathy M.
I'm jealous that your postcards give such a clear look at the Hayes station. The railroad was very important to my relatives but I have no good pictures showing the tracks or station.
ReplyDeleteIndustrial archaeology via old postcards - perfect. I particularly love the "Gramophone Offices" - a name dripping with history.
ReplyDeleteGreat set of postcards which tell us a story. Was the stamp factory for postage stamps or a metal stamping plant?
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've stepped back in time to one of those old black and white British films from the '50s to mid '60s. Any minute Albert Finney is going to walk by.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing old railway stations. The factories are interesting as history.
ReplyDeleteThe early factories have so much architectural interest, perhaps because of the practical use of numerous windows. The size and scale also seems larger than expected, but then they made everything in one place. Hayes must have been a very musical place though with the HMV factory and the Orchestrelle works. That last image intrigued me as I remembered the company name from a visit to the Musical Museum at Kew Bridge. They made Pianolas, a very complex player piano. For its time I think it was one of the great wonders of technology. Pianola.org has the same photo and dates it to circa 1911.
ReplyDeleteThe date of the Orchestrelle Works postcard is definitely 1912 or 1913. I have a fairly good chronology of W H Applebee around this time and I can date his postcards to at least the right year.
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