PastPresented Cumbria

15/06/2026

One last batch of Workington pictures from the Cumberland Annual, but these are editorial illustrations rather than adverts. They're actually quite few and far between, because the Annual was published in Whitehaven …
The 1905 Annual did feature the Carnegie Library, opened in 1904, and added these images of key committee members. It's worth pointing out at this point that most illustrations in the Annual were portraits, particularly during the First World War.
The charming double-page image of local grocers is from the 1913 edition.
The 1925 Annual was a particularly fertile source of Workington pictures, beginning with a full page of Uppies & Downies.
Do the original 1849 paintings on which the final two Workington illustrations from the 1925 edition were based still exist?

15/06/2026

Here's another update to my epic YouTube series on baby gulls in Whitehaven (with some non-gull bonuses)

14 June 2026, and there are now so many small birds on the rooftops...

14/06/2026

A bonus bunch of adverts from the Cumberland Annual today, beginning with a couple from Skidmore's heating engineers, in the 1903 and 1909 issues respectively.
Kerr & Co. are joined by another advert for Edmund Burrow, whom we featured yesterday- this time from the 1912 Annual.
McDonald & Sons dentists made a dramatic change to their advert between the 1912 and 1913 issues- the latter being the lower half here.
Another split-year collage for our final adverts; Ernest Lamb is from the 1909 Annual (shortly before opening a second branch in Whitehaven), Ambrose Palmer from 1913.

13/06/2026

In its early years, Workington Technical School splashed out on double-page adverts in the Cumberland Annual, published by the Whitehaven News. Today's first two images are from the 1916 edition.
Or rather, today's first three images. Adverts in the Annual were mostly placed in traditional locations; educational institutions before the diary section, other businesses grouped by location after the local information section.
From the latter section of the 1909 Annual, therefore, we glean the advert for the Station Hotel.
Burrow's (formerly Whitfield's) heating advert is from the 1903 Annual.

12/06/2026

Oxford Street is noted for its former Oxford Cinema, now a pub. Today's first image is a detail from an anonymous and undated real-photo postcard. The date is, however, strongly implied by the advertised film "Carnival" which was released in 1921.
Looking back along the street is a postcard by Friths' of Reigate, dated to circa 1955 on their website.
Probably about the same age is card 3 in the Workington real-photo selection from the National Series by Millar & Lang of Glasgow, looking up Murray Road. The inset detail is provided to indicate what is NOT seen on this card.
Compare it with another Frith card, photographed a few years later from almost exactly the same viewpoint.
Finally, heading south, the Technical College, on an anonymous card postmarked 1918- this would be decades later be redesignated a Grammar School.

11/06/2026

Heading westward again, we encounter a part of the town which was portrayed as open fields on the 1790s plan I showed yesterday. This development began with Washington Street (seen here on another Millar & Lang "National Series" postcard from the late 1940s).
The western axis along Jane Street is odd, because Oxford Street (to be featured tomorrow) did not originally cross the railway line, leaving a gap until the early 20th century. This view is from a late-1950s postcard in the Zenith series by the Northern Photographic Company of Glossop.
Another early 20th century development was the massive military drill hall on Edkin Street, replacing the early 19th century building at the corner of Portland Square [EDIT: Actually no, both facilities were in use, by different regiments]. This Edwardian postcard is by Beatys' of Carlisle.
Central Square (depicted on an anonymous postcard in what looks like the same cheaply printed, probably late-1930s series we saw at Pow Street a couple of days ago) was the inevitable result of joining Oxford Street to Jane Street while retaining the access road to Central Station.
Finally, a picture inside the former Riding School down the alley behind the Central Hotel, taken by Maysons' of Keswick when the building was converted to a very different use in 1934 ...

10/06/2026

Numerous publishers produced postcards of the view west along Pow Street. This example from the 1904 visit by Valentines' of Dundee shows more of Wilson Street in the foreground than most, giving a good view of the Lowther Arms Inn at left (maybe somebody pointed that out to them, as there is a later version of the same picture in vertical format, cutting out most of the foreground buildings!).
Looking the other way along Wilson Street is a late-1940s card in the National Series by Millar & Lang of Glasgow.
To the east of Wilson Street is the attempted new town development centred on Portland Square. The Wrench Series postcard, third in today's selection, is slightly earlier than the Valentines' card (another from 1904).
And finally, the last part of that 1790s town plan from William Hutchinson's history of Cumberland.

09/06/2026

Continuing eastward, we reach Pow Street. Today's first image, looking along the street from its western end, is another Unique Series postcard by Benton & Co. of Newcastle, postmarked 1930 but looking as if it could easily have been photographed a quarter-century earlier.
The second image, looking back west along the same stretch of street, is one of an anonymous series of cheaply-printed cards probably created in the late 1930s.
Back in time again for another Unique Series card (unusually, with a serial number, 3012) viewing Pow Street from its eastern end- this one's definitely Edwardian, perhaps photographed on the same visit as the first.
Compare that with the early 1920s equivalent from a viewpoint slightly further west, again credited to the Unique Series. One of my copies of this card is postmarked 1948, again reflecting the long circulation of some postcards.
Finally today, again from a viewpoint slightly west of the last, a 1950s card in the Mason's Alpha series.

08/06/2026

Workington's Wesleyan church dominates views westward along Finkle Street, as can be seen in today's first card, by Beatys' of Carlisle, with the Carnegie Library glimpsed at left (postmarked 1906).
Compare that with a view from further along Finkle Street photographed before the library was built (it opened in 1904), published for nostalgia fans by Renney & Co. of Pow Street.
Third today is an early view of the library building, (unpostmarked but again probably around 1905-6) from another Workington publisher, T.D. Keenliside.
The view from the eastern end of the street, another from the Unique Series mentioned yesterday, is somewhat later, postmarked 1926.
Finally today, another piece of the 1790s Workington town plan in Hutchinson's history of Cumberland, from which I previously scanned the harbour area.

08/06/2026

Another YouTube progress report on the birds in the back-yard of my shop in Whitehaven Market Place:

7 June 2026, and it's time for another fortnightly update on the bi...