Special Brewes

Occasionally, I like to share interesting local postcard images found on sale sites like eBay, and today I feature one that’s an old friend – the view down High Street Brownhills from the old Railway Bridge/Lichfield Road junction towards Shire Oak.

On the left is Brewes bakery on as it was then known, Brewes Corner – the corner of Lichfield Road and High Street, with a group of young lads out front. Along the generally quiet High Street, on this remarkably fine scan, once can see it’s a trading day as shop canopies are out, and people are around. There’s a horse and cart just beyond the Station Hotel on the right.

Foreground right, a group of men stand looking at the photographer, the Station Hotel behind. One the extreme right, one can just see the Station Brewery.

I notice this scan is so clear, a set of steps can be seen in the road by one of the shop canopies: No idea why, but try that today!

I’ve seen several versions of this card of the years, from photos clearly taken around the same time by the same photographer; some have a wider angle and the characters move and change. In fact, I discussed it some years ago in this post here.

I’m most interested with the reverse of this one. The seller, Antique Chapters, who has the card at time of publication at £15.00 (see link here) always features scans of the writing side in their sales and this is no exception: This one is stated as 1905 in the sale details, and was adressed to ‘Miss Florrie Marklew, County Asylum, Stafford.’

I can’t decipher most of it but it talks about Kingston and Jamaica but as you know, I’m no good at reading handwriting, so any help appreciated. The card is postmarked Brownhills, so I’m assuming some family connection with the Caribbean. I know Marklew is a fairly common family name locally.

Can you help decipher this, or if you have any view on the image, please do comment here, tug my sleeve on social media or mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.