Postcards were introduced in Britain in 1870. At this time, they were issued exclusively by the Post Office and were simple plain cards with a pre-printed stamp. It wasn’t until 1894 that the Post Office permitted postcards produced by other printers to be sent through the postal system. Cards measured 4.75 inches x 3.5 inches and were known as Court Cards. Photographs were black and white or of a vignette type with edges which faded away.

In 1899 the size of a postcard was standardised to 5.5 inches x 3.5 inches to bring Britain in line with other countries. Only the address could appear on one side of the card with the other side devoted to the picture and space for a message. In many cases the picture covered most of the card, leaving little room for anything else. At the time, it was considered inappropriate for personal messages to be included on something which was visible for all to read. People who wanted to include a message simply wrote a few lines around the border of the image.

In 1902 the Post Office changed its rules and permitted pictures to appear on the front of postcards and both the message and address on the reverse. The message was written on the left-hand side and the address on the right. Great Britain was the first country to allow this practice and with the inclusion of a line drawn down the middle to indicate where the message and address should be written, the name ‘divided back’ postcard was adopted.

The Edwardian era witnessed a huge increase in the popularity of the postcard. In a time before the telephone and greater mobility of the population, this method of communication was the obvious option for sending friends and family a quick message. Their appeal was a combination of attractive designs, cheap postage rates (half the cost of a standard letter) and extraordinarily quick delivery times, with up to six deliveries a day in large towns and cities. As printing techniques developed so postcard designs became more imaginative and colourful, often depicting landscapes, animals and even celebrities. Soon literally millions of postcards were passing through the GPO.

In Ivybridge at the turn of the twentieth century, an enterprising shopkeeper and keen photographer, Charles Smallridge, developed his own local postcard business. Using what are believed to be his own photographs, his range of postcards included many images of Ivybridge, often complemented with information regarding the subject matter. The ‘Erme Valley Descriptive Series’, dated 1906, adopted this format and featured many of the landmarks of the village including:

De Ponte Hederae, or Ivybridge; The Old Bridge; The New Bridge; Station Road, Ivybridge; Weir Head; The Viaduct, Ivybridge; Ruins of St. John’s Church (landscape and portrait versions) and The Woods, Ivybridge.

These postcards not only provided the many visitors to Ivybridge with the ability to send a message bearing an image of the holiday destination but gave collectors of ephemera the opportunity to obtain postcards of local interest. Many of Charles Smallridge’s postcards can be found in private collections today.

Charles Smallridge was a member of a prominent family of shopkeepers in Ivybridge. His business as grocer, draper, outfitter, footwear supplier and wine and spirit merchant was conducted from his shop at 54 Fore Street.

A very large Smallridge family tomb exists at Woodlands Cemetery marking their standing in the village.

Another local man associated with postcards was the artist and photographer William Richard Gay. His work centred predominantly around the South Hams. Paintings of Burgh Island and Thurlestone Rock by Gay reside at the Cookworthy Museum in Kingsbridge.

The ‘W R Gay Series’ of postcards (carrying the words physically embossed into the card) feature many images of Ivybridge including scenes of Fore Street, scenes of Exeter Road (including The Sportsmans Arms), Ivybridge Railway Station, Ivybridge Viaduct, Stowford Paper Mill (including the fire of 1914), St John’s Church, the Congregational Church, the Woods and the Post Office. His postcards are now highly sought after and demand a premium on auction websites.