Do you collect Banstead postcards? Tell us about your collection.

Most of the postcards included in this site come from the personal collection of Lewis Wood, BHRG member and webmaster. Most of the postcards date back to the early 1900's and Lewis has over 350 in his collection. We have used many in our publications. The Banstead History Centre at the library also has a collection, however no full list of Banstead postcards exists. Lewis is looking to compile a list starting with these two collections but many many more postcards must exist.

If you own a collection, or know someone who does, please tell us about it. Please also tell us if you have a whole collection or even a handful of local postcards that you might wish to sell. Some of the rarer cards could be worth in excess of Ł35 but Ł2 to Ł6 is more normal for the average card.
Lewis will willingly call round and take a look at your collection if you are local to Banstead. If we use a postcard from your collection in one of our publications, we will insert your name as the source.

.....So go on, get in touch, however big or small your collection is. Mail the Webmaster

The members of the Group are always on the lookout for old local photographs, in any condition. Computer software available to the non professionals allows us to restore pictures to a reasonable state. This is a recent example of the Wheatsheaf.
The Wheatsheaf crumpled, stained and torn - A sad sight
The Wheatsheaf recovered to its former glory using ADOBE Photoshop - A nice picture for the archives.

An old picture of a garage in Banstead, torn in half and sellotaped together.
The same garage picture now restored. The BHRG member who obtained the picture remembered the garage and his recollections were used to help recover an accurate final picture. Its not magic, but it does take time and patience!

The flying bomb photographed by a BHRG member in a museum in London.
An early draft of the cover of the one of our publications - Wartime Memories showing the same flying bomb 'extracted' from the original background. Ted Bond, the photographer, also wrote the book.
The Victoria Public House This postcard from G.P.Roberts was posted from Burgh Heath on the 19th of January 1906 to Hyde Park in Yorks. Note the pond in the foreground.
This postcard from W.T Brown, the Stationer, Banstead, was posted to an address in Old Portsmouth on the 16th July 1920. The message reads: Dearest Pa, Happy memories of Banstead. Fondest love. Florie.'
An unused postcard from the Dunmore series. Note the large trees on the right hand side, one of which is still there today. The small shack also on the right is standing on the site of the new Marks and Spencer food store. By this time the pond had gone and the 'pillar box' in the foreground was in fact the latest street lighting equipment with two lamps at the top of the post.