1940s Market Place and Cathedral Wells Somerset England Vintage Postcard

About This Vintage Postcard

This classic colorized postcard offers an elevated view of the historic Market Place in Wells, England, with the magnificent Wells Cathedral towering in the background. The scene captures the daily life of the "smallest city in England," showing the medieval architecture of the market square and the ornate Penniless Porch, which serves as the gateway to the Cathedral Green. Built primarily between 1175 and 1490, the cathedral is renowned for its West Front, which features one of the largest collections of medieval statuary in the world. The presence of mid-20th-century vehicles parked in the square provides a striking temporal contrast to the ancient stone structures that have anchored the city for over 800 years.

Details

Era: 1940s
City: Wells
State or Region: Somerset
Country: England
Topic: Wells Cathedral, Market Place, Medieval Architecture, English Heritage, Alfred Lord Tennyson Poetry
Condition: Circulated
Postage: 2d Orange King George VI stamp; postmarked Somerset, May 30, 1946
Address Side: divided back
Orientation: Horizontal (Landscape)
Artist / Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: Valentine's "Valesque" Post Card
Printer: Valentine & Sons, Ltd., Dundee and London
Print Type: Colorized Lithograph (Valesque texture)

Additional Information

This card was mailed shortly after the end of WWII, on May 30, 1946, from Somerset to a recipient in Dubuque, Iowa. The sender, "Uncle Paul," includes a heartfelt invitation: "A small sample of what you will see if you come to England to visit Alice and me." The reverse also features a patriotic quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson: "Not once or twice in our rough island-story, The path of duty was the way to glory." 

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