Trip down memory lane in Shere - My Postcard Collection

SCROLL the above images of Shere through the ages - click on the photo and step back in time...

 


ROLL-OVER the
postcard for detail
then CLICK to view
the full image.

 

 

Postcards are arranged as if you were walking around the village.
start at: Upper Street - Middle Street - The Square - Church Lane
back to: The Square - Middle Street - Lower Street - Rectory Lane
back to: Lower Street - Middle Street - Upper Street - Gomshall lane

Postcards from Shere

Shere is well know as one of the most photographed and prettiest villages in England. Nestled in the foot of the Surrey Downs and this seems to have been the case since photography began.

Starting in the 1900's, there were a few photographers who were able to spread this word through a new medium, the POSTCARD. Originated in Germany, in the late 1800's.The Royal Mail first allowed the sending of privately-produced illustrated cards (picture postcards) in September 1894 and figures reached 20 million by 1910. A couple of well know compnies were leading the way by bringing pictures of villages and towns around the world. Leading the way were a couple of large photographic companies, Frith and Judges, names that appear stamped on many postcards.

Local photographer, James Edward Percy Lloyd born in Shere and who contributed greatly to the postcard development in the UK.

James Edward Percy Lloyd - 1865-1946

Percy Lloyd, Albury's postmaster and village photographer, first came across picture postcards by chance in about 1900 during a visit to Germany. By 1903 his photo coverage had penetrated West Sussex, Berkshire, and also Margate where the family holidayed. into the 1920s, but Percy did not resume volume production.

His son Stanley left the RAF in 1921, joining his father a year later in setting up a photographic studio and camera shop in Guildford's upper High Street at number 4. Percy retired to Selwyn, 42 York Road, Guildford but the new venture kept him active until his death on July 6, 1946, aged 81. Stanley continued the business until 1969, trading as Lloyd's Photographic Centre. It moved in 1954 to 144 High Street, later re-numbered 156.

The studio with its one-time post office still stands in Church Lane, Albury. The big first-floor north-facing window lit the studio, and the post office was to the right of the front door.
Its wall clock, inscribed "Lloyd, Albury Post Office" now hangs in the village hall.

1247 Lloyd, Albury postcard

Historian and antiquarian Dr George C. Williamson of Guildford wrote in 1924 of the postcard's first popular reception when issued to German troops in the Franco-German War of 1870. He concludes: "The only real advantage that the world has ever derived from war was the introduction of the postcard." Percy would have liked that.

Cards marked "Lloyd Albury" are highly sought after today. They reflect the Edwardian tranquillity of our still beautiful part of England.

Extract taken from GET SURREY
READ MORE | PHOTOS

 

Shere - Taking a step back in time

 

 

 

 

In the centre of this picturesque Surrey village is 'The Square', one of the most photographed parts of the Shere.
St James's Church (built in 1190), situated in 'Church Lane', overlooks 'The Square'.

The church has a Norman tower and its lychgate was designed by the British architect, Edward Landseer Lutyens in 1901. The church is one of the attractions on the Pilgrim's Way and is famous for the story of the anchoress, Christine Carpenter, who was enclosed in a cell within the North wall of the church for three years.

Every postcard tells a story, a 'snapshot in time' that gives us clues of what life might have been like back in 1910

 

The postcard above reveals a couple sitting in the back of their van, taking a break.

 

ON-GOING WORK

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