100 YEAR OLD POSTCARDS OF FLAMBOROUGH HEAD

All of these post cards are over one hundred years old. They range from 1902 to 1906. They are a part of my collection of cards and photographs of the place where I grew up and the place for which this blog is named : FLAMBLOG.

I lived here for approximately ten years from the age of 9 to the age of 19. It is a wild and windy place, but a place of much beauty. The cliffs are chalk limestone and contain many, many caves, with interesting legends attached. They are about 150 feet to 400 feet in height. Thousands, if not more, of seagulls nest on these cliffs. There are gannets, kittiwakes, guillimots, puffins and many others. As a teenager I would roam these cliffs, bays and caves with my dog, Rip. It was a paradise. The summer was only about 8 weeks long and the temperatures seldom rose above 65-70 degrees. Winters were wet and windy but not often below freezing.


Notice the 'climmers' (climbers) on the cliff top and half way down the cliff face. They are collecting sea birds eggs to eat and to sell. This practice is now illegal.


The two stacks are named King and Queen Rocks. Only one of them is left standing now. I don't know which one it is.













There are over a hundred shipwrecks off the headland, one of which is John Paul Jones' ship ''The Bonhomme Richard". In a north-easterly storm the waves become enormous, at times breaking over the tops of the 100 foot cliffs. I know this is true because I have seen it myself.






Another ship about to wreck on the rocks.










The lighthouse and Silex Bay. The stack in this photo is Matron. She is no longer standing. This view is taken almost from my back yard. Our house was literally on the cliff tops.







The seabird preserve is famous. It is said that fishermen and sailors would listen for the sound of the birds to know if they were too close to the rocks. They make an enormous noise and it echoes in and around the cliffs and bays. This was in the days before the fog horn and the lighthouse.
Flamborough is known for its dense fogs.



Here is another view of Silex Bay. The stack here is either, Adam or Eve. Only one of these is left standing today.













Silex Bay and 'Matron'.








Another ship about to wreck. This card is dated 1903. The post mark is very clear on the back.









More rough seas at the Head and yet another ship about to wreck. This card is dated 1902









TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FLAMBOROUGH HEAD GO TO MY WEB SITE Click on the link in the side-bar on the right that says, My web of Flamborough.