Three pictures in search of a story ………

Sometimes you know that the story is lost, that no matter how much you dig into the past it will never come out of the shadows.

But in doing so you can come close to revealing a bit of family history and maybe a bit more.

So here are three pictures, two which are part of a commercial pack advertising the sights of the Lake District and one which is quite clearly a “snap” of a party of tourists.

All three come from our dad’s collection which will date from the mid-1920s through to the 1950s.

The commercial ones were used as an aide memoir when he was working for Glenton Tours who ran touring holidays across Britain and the Continent.

He worked for them from 1932 until he retired in 1982 and was quickly promoted from home tours to those which took passengers to France, Germany, the Low Countries, and Italy.

And so, the pictures were what he studied in preparation for the British tours which were accompanied by a set of notes.

By the mid-1930s he was also on the Continental runs, but for these he was joined by a “courier” who was fluent in several languages and took the responsibility of describing the sights and liaising with the hotels.

Today we might be cynical of this type of holiday which if you weren’t careful and you turned away from the window you might miss a country, added to which you might need to check the day and match it with the itinerary to be sure of where you were.

But that said these were not cheap holidays and were aimed at the middle class who wanted to explore from the comfort of a motor coach and relax at the end of the day in a luxury hotel.

All of which must date the two “Lake District” pictures to sometime before the last world war, and if I was familiar with Ambleside, I might be able to match them to their modern equivalent.

As for the seven tourists I am stumped.  

I think we are in the same period as the two commercial ones, and the rounded towers suggest a Scottish location.

But that is it.  Given that it was with Dad’s other “work” photographs I am guessing he took it or was given it by another passenger on one of his tours.

It is an intriguing one and provokes a heap of speculation as to who the seven were, whether they were students, possibly a group of diplomats or just a family group.

Location; Ambleside and somewhere else, dates unknown.

Alas I doubt their identities and reason for being in the picture are lost.

Pictures; the Ambleside two and the seven tourists, circa 1920s/30s. from the Simpson collection 

Travelling the Lakes in comfort ….. a century ago

You might be forgiven for passing over this tired looking picture of the Bridge House, Ambleside which according to one source “is possibly the most photographed building in the Lake District, and a popular subject for many artists including Turner.”*

Bridge House, circa 1920s

So, it is not surprising that it found its way into our Dad’s collection of Lakeland locations.

What make it a little different is that it must be coming up for its 100th birthday, or at the very least its 90th.

Dad and passengers, circa 1920s-30s

Dad was a coach driver who from the early 1920s was working for Glenton Tours of New Cross in southeast London.

They specialized in coach trips across Britain and by the 1930s to the Continent.

The tours lasted for seven days and offered a wealth of historic as well as beauty spots with full board in first class hotels.

And dad’s job was to drive the coach, give a commentary along the way, and ensure the passengers had all they needed.

Leaving the “guests" to get to the pickup point in New Cross or Central London and then sit back and enjoy the holiday.

It isn’t my choice but then cheap air travel and the internet have made all those places very accessible.

Back then they provided a luxury holiday utilizing the motor coach which was itself at the start of its long history.

Bridge House, 2022

Leaving me just to add that Bridge House is “tiny building, originally an apple store for nearby Ambleside Hall, was built over Stock Beck to escape land tax. 

Once five mills were driven by the power of Stock Beck and some may still be seen nearby. 

It is said that at some time a family with six children lived here in the two rooms.

In 1926 it was purchased by a group of local people who passed it into the care of the National Trust, which 20 years later they turned into their first information and recruitment centre. 

You can now visit without charge to see the 2 sparsely furnished rooms”.*

Location ; Bridge House, Ambleside

Pictures; Bridge House, Ambleside, circa mid 1920s into the 1930s, from the collection of the Simpson family, in 2022 courtesy of Google Maps

*Visit Cumbria, https://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/bridge-house/