Sussexpostcards.info

Taylors

postcard

Lake at Hampden Park

To home page
To directory of publishers
To gallery

Photographers, Eastbourne. Taylors established their business at 54 Terminus Road in Eastbourne just after the First World War. In Gowland's 1920 Eastbourne Directory they offered "artistic portraiture", "outdoor photography", "all photographic materials" and "developing and printing ready in 24 hours". By 1924 they acquired additional premises at 9 and 11 Seaside, and by 1926 they set up a "Developing and Printing Works" at Brassey Avenue in Hampden Park. In 1927 they were to be found at 19 and 154 Terminus Road as well as at 9 and 11 Seaside. Pike's 1928-29 Eastbourne Directory locates them at 19 Terminus Road, Pier Head, Lower Grand Parade and Brassey Avenue. They closed many or all of their Eastbourne shops by 1930, but continued to operate the Works in Hampden Park until the 1960s or later.

During the 1920s they opened shops at Brighton in St James' Street, Kings Road and West Street, but in the late 1930s only the West Street shop survived. They were still trading at West Street in 1970.

In the 1920s Taylors published real photographic cards of many places in Sussex, including Rye, Eastbourne, Willingdon, Wilmington, West Dean, Firle, Buxted, Blatchington, Bishopstone, Herstmonceux, Lewes, Newhaven, Rottingdean, Moulsecombe, Steyning, Sompting, Worthing, Arundel, Petworth House and Chichester. Their sales territory extended also into southern Kent. The cards generally have a distinctive logo consisting of the name "Taylors" enclosed in two ellipses; a few were published anonymously. Many cards have machine-printed captions and a serial number. The highest number reported is 2088 (Polegate windmill), the next highest 2027 (the Downs at Beddingham) followed by 2015 (the Long Man of Wilmington). The earliest postmarks so far seen date from 1923.

A card showing a French steamer, apparently the S.S. Tamise (1893-1913), leaving Newhaven Harbour that had been previously published in the Arrow Series reappeared as a Taylors card. Presumably, Taylors acquired the negative and publication rights, but why they did not take their own photograph of a ship that was still in service and regularly steaming out of the harbour is puzzling. Taylors also republished an Arrow Series card of Newhaven Fort viewed from the Harbour entrance. Another view of Newhaven Harbour that they published is probably also a former Arrow Series card, but the original has not yet been found.

To directory of publishers
To gallery

Design: Lucid Design
© www.sussexpostcards.info