Last resort

It offered the finest trout fishing in the Kingdom. And don't forget the best park in the world. It was . . . Blackburn!

An old postcard, believed to date from the turn of the century, was recently discovered by a Blackburn pensioner.

It describes the town in glowing terms and lists: The "magnificent waterfall - the sight of a lifetime" to be found in Grimshaw Park, and the "beautiful panoramic view from Lark Hill", easily accessible by electric cars which run every few minutes.

Or how about visiting the nightly Water Carnival, held on the River Blakewater. Sportsmen, the card claims, will find even more excitement on Blakey Moor, "famed for it's grouse".

But before you left the idyllic Blackburn of old, you were told: "Do not fail to visit Little Har-Wood, with it's magnificent pines: the sylvan retreat of lovers". The yellowing postcard was given to Mrs Doreen Backhouse, of Quebec Road, Lammack, by an elderly relative who found it while tidying up.

She said: "I have asked relatives if they know anything about it and no one has a clue. My family moved into the area in 1913.

"My guess is they brought it then."

It appears in this month's parish magazine of St Silas's Church, much to the amusement of the Vicar, the Rev Brian Stevenson. "I think it's very funny," he said.

"I like the bit about Little Harwood being the sylvan retreat of lovers.

"What it fails to mention is the fact that at the time the "Pure mountain air" it boasted about was full of Industrial Revolution smog and mill town grime."

Robin Whalley, secretary of the Postcard Society, said: "There were a couple of cards like this produced here at the turn of the century.

"It was just a spoof card, someone having a tongue-in-cheek pop at the area.

"They were made around 1910 - funny cards aimed at people with a sense of humour - a bit more sophisticated than fat ladies in swimming costumes."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.