Old Postcards of Armadale

Updated 22 February 2009

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These 12 postcards came home to Armadale from Ohio in the USA

Originally published by Geo. F. Colquhon*, The Cross, Armadale.

The publisher trained as a barber, but, after losing a leg during the First World War, he opened a newsagent's and tobacconist's shop in East Main Street, Armadale.  He called it the wee shop with the big stock.  His speciality was a pipe tobacco, which he made up, called The Dale Smoking Mixture. 

He hired a professional photographer to photograph his shop.  He can be seen below in some cards where he appears riding his motor cycle and side car, accompanied by his collie dog who was his constant companion.

*Colquhoun

The cards feature:

• The Old Mill (see Development for Barbauchlaw Mill)

• Mill Road (see Development)

• Woodbank Cemetery (see Population for Cemeteries)

• Football Ground (see Football)

• Tippethill Fever Hospital (see Hospitals)

• Station Road (now known as South Street) (see Development)

• West Main Street (see Development)

• Woodend Village (see Woodend)

• Bridgecastle Avenue

• Public School and Parish Church (see Armadale Primary School Past and Present)

• East Main Street (see Development)

• Miners' Welfare Institute (see Development)

Postcard, dated Thurs. April 22 1945, cost 4d., not stamped, addressed or signed,
looking up along South Street from Armadale crossroads.
Note the Regal Cinema on the left.
'Passed thru here just after I passed Linlithgow en route to Glasgow.
Drove along this st. turning right.'

Here's another postcard, this time from Southampton!

The postcard shows Tippethill Hospital

We think the addressee is Esther Gathercole, bc1881, who was living with her father, Joseph, a farmer, at Church Farm, Holm Hale, Thetford, in 1901

We wonder why this particular postcard was sent with greetings from Camberwell in August, 1908.  Does anyone know?

Our thanks go to Jim Gibson for another postcard.

The postcard's sender lived at 108 West Graham Street, Glasgow, and the addressee was Miss Criss W Campell at 39 Smith Street (3 up), Hillhead, Glasgow.