| Wilmcote, Warwickshire |
| This postcard shows the Masons' Arms as it was during George Overton's time as landlord, so probably around 1930. There have been a few changes to the pub since then - I noted at my last visit that the chimney at the top left has disappeared, whilst the wall in front of the Smoke Room wasn't there when we moved in in 1944 - and neither were the railings in the front. The walnut tree at the rear of the building is also long gone - it was never a very sound tree - a branch fell on to the ladies toilets in a gale one night about 1950, and we only ever had one decent crop of walnuts the whole time I was there. The house on the right wasn't there either, just an overgrown spinney. See below for another view of the pub. |
| An early 20th Century View of Mary Arden's Cottage by Raphael Tuck. |
| Mary Arden's, probably from about 1950. |
| A postcard of the Green which must have been produced during the 1940s or 50s - I recognise the car, a Morris which belonged to Joe Townsend who lived in the cottage on the far right, and whose son Tom used to organise coach trips to Perry Barr Speedway. The signpost is a bit twisted too, but I've known it to point in the wrong direction !! |
| Two more postcards of Mary Arden's - that on the right was mailed in 1907. |
| A postcard by Raphael Tuck and Sons which was posted in 1907. |
| This card was posted from Chester to Detroit in 1911. |
| I can't date this card, but it is obviously early 20th Century - the wording on the front says it's a photograph from the "Times". |
| A 1992 postcard of Wilmcote Station with GWR King Class no 6024 King Edward 1 passing through. |
| A couple of views of Mary Arden's rear !! |
| A nice old postcard of the station - this one is rather tatty and I can't decipher the date ! |
| Many thanks to Phil Dalton for this postcard - if you can identify anyone in the picture, please get in touch ! |
| I think this postcard must have been produced in the 1940s or 50s, when my family was living at the Masons. (Z) |
| This postcard of the church was mailed in 1912. |
| Wilmcote Festival June 1936. |
| An excellent real photo postcard of the bungalows on Marsh Road - this one probably dates from the 1930s. |
| The Green and the Swan in the 1930s. |
| If you live, or used to live, in Wilmcote, click here for memories of the village, the Masons' Arms, the Cricket Club....... There are also some old postcards and photos sent to us by some visitors to this website, some of whom would like to get in touch with old friends. |
| This postcard of the 1936 Festival was sent to us from Australia by Jane Hewlett (nee Hewins). The lady holding the donkey is Jane's Auntie Minnie, who was married to Norman Wright - their son David, with whom I played cricket for Wilmcote, is sitting on the donkey. Sadly David died a few years ago, outlived by his mother who died in 2007 aged 99. See our "About Wilmcote" page for more photos from Jane. |
| The Eighteens in 1910 - for more about this postcard, visit our "About Wilmcote" page. |
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| The area around Wilmcote contains good limestone, and a significant quarrying industry grew up in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal was routed through Wilmcote because of its quarries. Today the area has many small disused quarries, mostly filled in, (including one behind the Masons Arms) and just-visible paths of tramways linking them to the canal. There is a larger quarry which has not been filled in and which is now a nature reserve. There are remains of lime kilns, built to turn the limestone into cement. The last of the quarries closed in the early twentieth century, but they have left a great legacy for the village. There are several rows of former quarry workers cottages, built in Wilmcote stone, and a pub called the Masons' Arms. |
| Wilmcote stone was used for paving the floors in the Houses of Parliament when these were rebuilt in the nineteenth century. |
| We'd be delighted if you would sign our Guest Book ! We welcome suggestions, corrections and constructive criticism - or just say "Hello !" and tell us where you come from. |
| Wilmcote Church. |
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| Postcards of the Past |
| Reproductions of postcards with a (Z) following the description are available to buy from Zazzle - just click on the (Z) ! Similarly, GC = Greetings Card, P = Print, ST = US Postage Stamp, K = Key Ring, FM = Fridge Magnet, SM = Souvenir Mug, X = Xmas Card. |
| Wilmcote (pronounced locally "Wimcut") is a village in Warwickshire, about 4 miles north-west of Stratford-upon-Avon, with a population of about 1700. It is the location for one of the "Shakespeare" properties, Mary Arden's House, the home of Shakespeare's mother. In recent years it has been discovered that the building formerly bearing this name belonged at the time to an Adam Palmer and it has been renamed Palmer's Farm, so that the postcards on this page, all more than 50 years old, are misleading in that they show this building as Mary Arden's. The real Mary Arden's is now considered to be what was Holmes' Farm when I lived in Wilmcote, although many of the old locals used to say that Mary Arden's was on the other side of the road and had long been knocked down ! So who knows ? The properties are worth visiting ! |
| If you would like to help financially with expanding and maintaining this website, we would appreciate your contribution, however small. We hate to have to ask, but times are hard ! Thanks ! |
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