Historic and rare post boxes - and not just red ones!

Visiting the British Postal Museum earlier this year drew my attention to Post boxes.  So much so that I find myself noticing them everywhere I go and often reading about their unique or rare features.

In Ripley, North Yorkshire, I came across this delightful Green post box and  old post office sign.
There is also a George VI  red pillar  box nearby! Which do we prefer?
 



In Queen Street, Amble, Northumberland  I also found   a rare box, which doesn't display  the collection times! These are shown  instead in the window of the post office. There are apparently only two of these in the country. I don't know the location of the other one.   Spotting post boxes wasn't all I did while on  a week's holiday, but these little pieces of industrial history certainly add interest to any walk!   I did post some postcards in the rare box, but doubt very much if the postmark will reveal that fact!   You can read more about post boxes in my blog post of 18th May 2019.

The Grayhound - latest stamp collage original

Just completed this stamp collage inspired by the beautiful ship, The Grayhound, which visited the docks in Gloucester this year, and is now at sea.  I've used stamps, envelopes, and also created the rigging from thread, with some painting  too.  Prints in various sizes and cards will be available shortly. Please let me know if you are interested.

Although I boarded some of the other ships, unfortunately this time I was just a little too late to go on  The Grayhound, and watched her sail away down the River Severn on a working voyage with regular crew and some passengers.
She goes to many interesting destinations including the Portugal, Madeira, the  Azores, France, Spain and Ireland, collecting cargo en route, and also taking passengers.

The Grayhound is a Lugger built between 2010-12 and is a 5/6 replica of the original  18th century vessel. built in Cornwall.

You can read all about her on website
www.grayhoundluggersailing.co.uk

Renaming a ship .. "The Blue Lady" could be renamed " La Semeuse Bleue"

La Semeuse - Stamp Collage by Rachel Markwick 

A few years ago I made a stamp collage ship using the iconic French stamp called "La Semeuse" or in English, "The Sower".  I used them to make the sails and my original vessel duly sailed off to a new home in Bologna, Italy.  Limited edition Prints are also available! 

  Subsequently, with a dearth of Blue "La Semeuse" stamps in my stock, a new ship emerged and was named "The Blue Lady". 

The Blue Lady - Stamp Collage by Rachel Markwick 

 She also found a new home in West Virginia, USA.  I have prints available, a framed version of which is currently on show in the National Waterways Museum, in Gloucester Docks.  She still goes by the name of The Blue Lady, but new owners of ships often rename them, so who knows, perhaps she could become "La Semeuse Bleue".


See more ships on my website
www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk

Flags of many nations - all made from stamps

We all love flags!  

  Here are a few which have been made up into canvas prints in a variety of sizes and have gone  as far away as Australia,New Zealand, USA,Canada and Japan, as well as closer to home!   Shown here are my LOVE version of the Union Jack,

Welsh flag, Stars and Stripes (USA),

Australian flag, Swiss flag and German flag, all made from the stamps of each country.

The largest I've had made was a Union Jack  100 x 60 cms but generally they are approximately 30 x 40 cms according to the format of the flag itself.They can also be produced as giclee prints. 

These are just a few of many I've made from stamps - others can be seen on www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk    and I'm always happy to discuss commissions for more unusual flags such as one made in the colours of the Ugandan flag, including Ugandan stamps but also other themes from countries and subjects associated with the recipient. Possibilities are endless .. just ask! 

Unframed Prints available

Voyages of Discovery, my exhibition of Stamp Collages at the National Waterways Museum continues on until September, and there has already  been a lot of interest in the ships which are the subjects of most of the pictures.on show.

Staff and visitors at the exhibition in the National Waterways Museum May 2019

  You can read the ships' stories on previous blog posts, and information is also available in the museum display.  During the summer months the museum is open every day from 10 - 5.
Pictures can  be supplied as unframed prints, and in various sizes. Print quality is excellent and colour is guaranteed fast for 70 years + although I may not be around by then to check on it!! Take a look at my website www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk  to see all the pictures.   

Tall Ships and tall stories at the Tall Ships Festival in Gloucester Docks this week-end

This week-end will see  magnificent tall ships sailing into Gloucester Docks for the bi-annual Tall Ships Festival.  Several have inspired stamp collages in past years, and I have 20 pictures on display now until September in the National Waterways Museum on the dockside, including a few or the  vessels that were here last time.  I'll be visiting the festival to see some newcomers, take some photos and hopefully eventually make some more pictures. La Malouine is back again this year, and features in one of my collages. I'm looking forward to seeing the Vilma, and the Grayhound as well as regular visitor the Matthew!

As well as the pictures on display on Floor No 2 of the National Waterways museum, you can read stories about the ships and other pictures, from previous blog posts, explaining how they came about, inspiration and interesting facts the ships and the stamps. I've also compiled two new  Stamp Search Quizzes for children( and adults).These have always gone down well in my own Open Studio.
This week-end, the entrance fee to the Tall Ships Festival also includes free entry to the National Waterways Museum and the tall ships visiting! 

History on the High Street - Post Boxes

Since visiting the Postal Museum in London in April, I've taken more notice of the post boxes I come across on local walks. Several  special ones  are on display in the museum,  some with stories to tell and not all are red!

    

In my home town of Stroud on a  circular morning walk of about 3 miles, I came across no less than 6 post boxes and two were from the Victorian era, both of a slightly different design.   And there is a beautiful example of another Victorian Post Box, still in use,  right in front of the National Waterways Museum, where my latest  stamp collage exhibition is now on until 30th September of Floor No 2.
Post boxes also appear on stamps and not surprisingly I have used some in  collages, such as the Christmas robin design, which has a border of  Christmas postbox stamps.

There are still many post boxes dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria, as well as subsequent monarchs, and some are rarer than others. The postal museum has information about all these and trails leading to and from the museum also point out interesting post boxes such as the one near Holborn which is the only "Two Monarch" Postbox in the country as it has the ciphers of both Queen Victoria, and Edward VII on it.   Warning: looking for  post boxes can be addictive!

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