This month Barry Cuff has chosen two holiday postcards from the middle of the last century
One of the Frith series of Milton Abbas, this card was sent from a holiday-maker to Kidderminster in September 1965. The message is more about raffle prizes than the village (“won a pound of tea and a pair of stockings”) but the image captures the Hambro Arms, the neat cottages and the parish church beyond – the postcard-perfect view of Milton Abbas that visitors were expected to take home:
Having a nice holiday. Met some old neighbours & spent Thurs morning here, lovely old abbey & small chapel 934, just suited you. Been to a couple of Drives & won 1lb tea & a pair of stockings. All now, cheerio, Evelyn & Bert
This simple 1950s postcard of The Street at Milton Abbas carries a brief note about motoring troubles and fond thoughts for “dear May” — nothing dramatic, just a snapshot of everyday life on the road in postwar Dorset. But Milton Abbas has stories to tell beyond its picture-perfect thatched cottages. Our much-missed Roger Guttridge wrote about one of its strangest mysteries – almost 250 years after the funeral of the young Milton Abbey heir, questions remain about whose “body” was actually buried in the coffin in the crypt . And for a lighter angle, you can also enjoy Roger’s Then and Now comparison of this very street.
Tolpuddle Dorset – Friday. Dear May, we are having a few days touring around here. Haven’t gone too far afield as the chariot is getting a bit old & also needs a rebore. We hope you are well. V often thinking of you. Shall have to come up & see you one of these days. All our love, Edith & Dick
