Worthing The Postcard Collection

During the reign of Edward VII (1901 - 1910) Worthing was a thriving resort in its architectural prime, its seafront graced by numerous elegant and charming buildings. The first decade of the twentieth century was also the period when the sending of picture postcards became almost a national obsession. Today these postcards provide us with a unique and fascinating record of the buildings, the traffic and the people of a long-vanished England. This photographic record is of especial value in the case of Worthing, since so many of the town’s historic buildings have been demolished over the past seventy-five years. Reproduced in this book are over 160 postcards of Worthing that show the town in its Edwardian glory. Nearly 60 are in colour. All are richly atmospheric, and many - such as those of the Tunbridge Wells photographer Harold Camburn and the French form of Levy Sons & Co. - are of a high artistic standard. The collection takes us first to Broadwater and Tarring, and then along Worthing parade and through the streets of the town. The long section of cards of the promenade is of particular interest, the views being arranged in a tight geographical sequence, bringing the Edwardian seafront back to life building by building. Old maps of Worthing are included to assist the reader.