Postcard From 1903 Delivered To Original Address After 120 Years – Contents Revealed!

In a remarkable turn of events, Miss Lydia Davies of Swansea, Wales received a long-lost postcard that had been sent to her over a century ago. The postcard, which was sent in 1903, finally arrived at its intended destination, 11 Cradock Street, on August 16, 2024, a staggering 121 years later.

The postcard, featuring a wintry scene with snow-covered mountains, a stag, and a starry night sky reflected in a lake, was found at the Swansea Building Society, which now occupies the old building. The staff at the mortgage office were astonished when it arrived unexpectedly in the mail.

Henry Darby, the marketing and communications officer of the society, described the surprise encounter, stating, “The postman came to the door as normal with lots of letters regarding mortgages and savings, and as one of the managers was sorting through it, this postcard dropped onto the table, no envelope, no note, just as it was.” The King Edward VII stamp on the postcard perfectly matched the 1903 postmark.

The content of the postcard, although partially illegible, expressed regrets for not being able to obtain “a pair of these.” The sender, named Ewart, mentioned having pocket money of about 10 shillings and sent their regards to Miss Gilbert, John, and others at home.

The society, intrigued by the postcard’s origins, launched a social media inquiry to gather more information about Miss Lydia Davies and the history of the postcard. It was discovered that the postcard had been sent from Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and referenced something significant to both the sender and the recipient.

Amidst the excitement, Henry Darby expressed his fascination with the glimpse into the past, saying, “It’s wild, actually; a little bit spooky. The stamp is King Edward, who was king from 1901 until 1910, and you could tell right away from the handwriting and the language that it was very much of the time.” Further research revealed that the building on Cradock Street had once been filled with traditional homes before being bombed, with the current mortgage office being a rebuild of the original.

Delving deeper into the history of Cradock Street, it was discovered that renowned figures like Oscar Wilde had performed across the road in Albert Hall as early as the 1860s. Could Miss Lydia Davies, who seemingly once lived on Cradock Street, have attended one of these performances?

The Royal Mail speculated that the postcard had likely been misplaced within their system for over a century, rather than being lost in the mail. According to a spokeswoman, “When an item is in our system, we are under obligation to deliver it to the correct address.”