A Bit of Postcard History… (The Fun Bits)

The British seaside postcard popped up in the late 1800s, when day-trippers suddenly had trains, piers and a bit of spare change in their pockets. Sending a postcard home was the Victorian equivalent of a smug holiday selfie - only with better handwriting and a penny stamp.

By the time deckchairs and ice cream wars were in full swing, no trip to the coast was complete without firing one off to Auntie Doris.

Roll on the 1930s through to the 1970s, and the British seaside postcard hit its glorious, blushing peak. Plump landladies, henpecked husbands, sunburnt vicars and innuendos so broad you could land a pier on them.

They were rude, daft and absolutely beloved, sold by the millions in every seaside town from Blackpool to Brighton. Quite frankly, the nation couldn't get enough of a good double entendre.

Then along came mobile phones, package holidays to places that promised actual sunshine, and the humble postcard quietly slipped off the rack. The cheeky seaside classic became something you'd find in a charity shop, slightly curled at the edges.

A bit of a shame really, because nothing says "thinking of you" quite like a saucy cartoon and a smudged postmark from Skegness.

That's where we come in. We’ve created a collection of cheeky, gloriously British postcard designs, inspired by the classics, and we'll print, stamp and post them for you - proper paper, proper stamp, proper letterbox.

Pop in your message, pick a card, and we'll do the rest. Granny will love it. Your mate will laugh. The postman might raise an eyebrow. Job done.