The Postcard
A Wyndham Series postcard that was posted in south-west London using a ½d. stamp on Tuesday the 9th. April 1912. It was posted to:
Mr. C. Wright,
9, Eriswell Road,
Worthing,
Sussex.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Arrived back quite
safely, at 9.40, and
was in business by
10 o/c.
The weather is perfect
up here today.
Freda."
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles (19 kilometres) southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames.
The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief minister of Henry VIII. In 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the cardinal gave the palace to the king to mitigate his disgrace.
The palace went on to become one of Henry's most favoured residences; soon after acquiring the property, he arranged for it to be enlarged so that it might more easily accommodate his sizeable retinue of courtiers. The palace is currently (2023) in the possession of King Charles III and the Crown.
In the following century, King William III's massive rebuilding and expansion work, which was intended to rival the Palace of Versailles, destroyed much of the Tudor palace. His work ceased in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque.
While the palace's styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink bricks and a symmetrical, if vague, balancing of successive low wings.
King George II was the last monarch to reside in the palace.
Today, the palace is open to the public and is a major tourist attraction, easily reached by train from Waterloo station in central London, and served by Hampton Court railway station in East Molesey.
The structure and grounds are cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown.
The palace displays many works of art from the Royal Collection.
Apart from the palace itself and its gardens, other points of interest for visitors include the celebrated maze, the historic royal tennis court, and the huge grape vine, the oldest and largest in the world.
The palace's Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival and Hampton Court Garden Festival.
The Titanic and The Niagra
So what else happened on the day that Freda posted the card?
Not a lot, but on the following day, the 10th. April 1912, two shipping incidents occurred:
-- The Titanic, the largest ship ever constructed up to that time, began its maiden voyage from Southampton, England at noon, with a final destination of New York City.
On its exit, the ship caused the American liner New York to break free of its moorings. The Titanic arrived in Cherbourg, France that evening at 7:00 pm where she took on more passengers before departing two hours later.
-- The French liner Niagara, sailing from Le Havre, France to New York City, struck ice while sailing near Newfoundland. The ship's bow plates were dented, the ship began to leak, and an S.O.S. was sent.
The steamer Carmania rushed to the rescue, but the crew of the Niagara were able to make repairs.
