1,000 Ipswich maritime postcards go on display at The Hold

Leonard Woolf left his collection to the Ipswich Maritime Trust (IMT) of which he was a member. 

Mr Woolf died in 2018 but had been assisted in his later years by fellow IMT member Bob Pawsey in bidding for and purchasing suitable postcards to add to the collection.

Leonard Woolf collected more than 1,000 picture postcards over his lifetime. (Image: IMT)

Ipswich Maritime Trust (IMT) members Bob Pawsey(left) and Leonard Woolf built up the Leonard Woolf Collection of maritime-themed picture postcards which were handed over to The Hold by the IMT. (Image: IMT)

“They were kindred spirits,” recalls Bob’s daughter Emma Pawsey. “They shared a deep affection for their home town, and a fervent dedication to preserving its rich maritime heritage.”

The 1,000-strong collection contains Victorian and Edwardian picture postcards of the Port of Ipswich and the River Orwell filled five "enormous" albums. 

The cards depict scenes and ships in and around Ipswich, in the 1890s, 1900s and 1910s. On the reverse are messages from Ipswich residents to friends and family, capturing the anxieties and felicitations of the era.

Leonard Woolf collected more than 1,000 picture postcards over his lifetime. (Image: IMT)

IMT presented the Leonard Woolf Collection to the Suffolk Archives at the Hold on March 22. 

IMT presenting the Leonard Woolf collection to The Hold. (Image: IMT)

IMT chair Ben Good said: “We are very grateful to Leonard, and other members of IMT, for putting in so much effort, and amassing an astonishing record of life on the Waterfront at a time when the river was so important not only for commerce but also for leisure.

"Paddle steamers feature strongly in the Collection, and there are wonderful images of people enjoying the Ipswich Swimming Club, or walks through parkland overlooking the Orwell.”

The collection spans Ipswich's maritime history in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. (Image: IMT)

IMT has made a copy of every single postcard to ensure they can be accessible to future generations.

It is a 20-year project in the making, with all of the postcards scanned by a team led by IMT’s Archivist, Stuart Grimwade, and are available to view on the Trust’s website.

The landing stages in Ipswich for the paddle steamers which took passengers up and down the Orwell. (Image: IMT)

A touching birthday wish from a brother to his sister, promising some 'neadles' as a present, and reminding her that his own birthday was coming up! (Image: IMT)

Mr Grimwade said: “The Collection is one of the largest of its kind of the same general location, focusing as it does on the river and dock area of Ipswich.

“And having been through the postal system – when stamps cost just a halfpenny! – they contain many messages of social interest as well as showing the huge variety of local maritime scenes around the turn of the nineteenth century.”

Bridget Hanley,  Senior Archivist at The Hold said the collection was a lovely addition to its maritime records, which include charcoal drawings by Valerie Irwin that record the demolition of Cranfields on the waterfront. 

Scans of the front of the postcards can be viewed any time online on the IMT’s website www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk or viewed online or in person at The Hold.