South Wales Postcard Club

Established in November 1990, the South Wales Postcard Club has established itself as the postcard presence in South Wales. It meets in Cardiff, on the second Thursday of each month, (except for August) between 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM, usually at Ararat Baptist Church Hall, (Whitchurch Common, Merthyr Rd, Cardiff, CF14 1PT).

A programme of events is organised by the club committee, running from September each year. Primarily the talks are on or around the subject of postcards, but as postcard collectors will know this allows an enormous scope for diversity. Subjects may vary between particular illustrators, history, local and international, local authors, and social history.

A typical meeting will feature a PowerPoint presentation from a visiting speaker, but often the meeting is taken by a club member and finishes with refreshments. In July the committee organises a visit, (if we are lucky the weather is good!), and in November we now hold our anniversary dinner in some local hostelry.

Twice a year the club organises a Postcard Fair in Cardiff with around twelve dealers, and to coincide with it we also produce 'Cardtalk', the Club newsletter, with contributions from members. If you would like to contact the editor Gareth Thomas, he can be reached through our email addres (swpcc@hotmail.com).

Membership

We always welcome new members to the club, where the annual subscription is £12 per annum. New members are made very welcome and help to enlarge the wide range of interests and collecting habits, already covered by our members. Although we are a postcard club, we are all collectors and usually have more than one string to our bow!

The Programme

The committee of the S.W.P.C. works hard to construct an annual programme which is varied and enticing. Guest speakers feature, as do club members who volunteer talks on cards from their collections. PowerPoint presentations are used to project postcards which illustrate the talks. These magnified images have quite an impact, and often impress the speaker themselves who have never seen them at that size before.

Always popular are ‘Members’ meetings, when, based on a set topic, members bring along cards and show and speak about them in-the-round for a few minutes. The popularity of postcard collecting is increasing, especially as many with an interest in Local History and Family History now begin to realise how old postcards can provide the visual element to their hobby. The thrill of finding a card showing a church, a school, a shop, a colliery, or a street with a family connection has to be experienced to be believed.

Anyone seeking further information on The South Wales Postcard Club or postcards as a collecting interest may contact us via the club's email address which is printed at the bottom of this page.

Thursday, 12th September 2024

A.G.M., followed by Richard Phillips – The Pantheon de Guerre. At the time (during the First World War) it was the largest painting in the world. Four hundred feet long and forty-five feet high!

Thursday, 10th October 2024           

Gareth Thomas – Quiz. In all of its long history, Gareth has never before prepared a quiz to the S.W.P.C. based on postcards. Gareth will put that right, but beware: If you think the questions on 'University Challenge' are hard, then just wait until you see what Gareth has to offer. You might get no answers right, but you'll have had the pleasure of taking part, at least.

Saturday 19th October 2024

Postcard Fair - Our Autumn Postcard Fair will take place at Llanishen Leisure Centre, Ty Glas Ave, Cardiff, CF14 5EB. The fair opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 3:00 p.m. Around twelve dealers attend and on offer will be a huge variety of subject and topographical cards, old and modern, plus other paper ephemera. Parking is available on site, more nearby. Anyone wishing for more information about the fair should contact us through our email address. Maps and directions for those travelling from afar can be provided.

Thursday, 14th November 2024

The S.W.P.C. was founded in November 1990, and the club holds an annual lunch to celebrate the establishment of the club. The venue for this year's meal commemorating thirty-four years will be the Cafe Ffach. As usual a warm and friendly welcome will be extended to members and guests.

Thursday, 12th December 2024

Members’ Evening – “Tis the Season to be Jolly.” As has become customary the Christmas meeting will be a meeting where members bring along up to four postcards linked to this evening’s title. It is quite probable that several if not the majority may only have a very loose link to the subject. Biscuits will make way for Christmas cake and mince pies to accompany the usual teas and coffees.

Thursday, 9th January 2025

Stephen Rowson - “Photographs by H J B Wills”. In last year’s programme we looked at a wide variety of his studio portraits. This time Stephen will look at products of commissions he covered away from the studio, e.g. book binding at the Western Mail printing works, wagon repairing in Cardiff Eat Moors, Spillers biscuit making, building the Midland Bank, shipping, and collieries.

Thursday, 13th February 2025

Julia Carson Sims – "The World of Opera - a Stage Manager’s viewpoint”. Julia will talk about how a production is taken from conception to opening night. She hopes that the evening will be interactive, rather than just a lecture.

Thursday,13th March, 2025

Peter Smith – Old Cardiff. A journey around Cardiff using photographs and postcards showing the various districts of Cardiff in years gone by and in recent times, showing their distinctive buildings and open spaces.

Thursday, 10th April 2025

Dave Hollyman – The Isle of Man. Club Member Dave will be giving a potted history of the Isle of Man, and knowing his love for motorbikes of all shades and sizes there is a fair chance that the TT Races will feature in no slight way.

April Postcard Fair – To be confirmed.

Thursday, 8th May 2025

Gareth Thomas – 'These are a Few of my Favourite Things'. Recently, Gareth was sorting out some of his albums and boxes of postcards, and he thought that others might like to see some of his favourite cards. This talk will be a bit like 'Desert Island Discs', but without the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare. 

Thursday, 12th June 2025

Members’ Evening – “In the Summer Time” A ‘come all ye’ evening when members are invited to bring along up to four postcards which illustrate this famous song title. This task should provide a wealth of opportunities as postcards have traditionally been so closely associated with summer holidays. There are thousands of postcards associated with the seaside and many tourist spots both in this country and abroad.

Thursday, 10th July 2025

Traditionally, the July meeting of the S.W.P.C. is a summer visit and this event marks the end of the current programme. Recent visits have been made to Brecon Mountain Railway, country-houses, gardens, St Fagans Museum and even a distillery! Walking tours of Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay have been memorable. Details of the summer-evening visit have not yet been confirmed but will be made available in due course. All members are invited as are any non-members who would like to be club guests for this evening.

* * * * * * * * *

The South Wales Postcard Club meets in Cardiff, but has a membership that stretches over a wide area of South Wales. We all share an interest in picture postcards, some as a corollary to another interest and some who have become true cartephilliacs absorbed by this early twentieth century phenomenon. With the digital age postcards should have wilted away, and to a certain extent have, but thanks to the collecting fervour of our grandparents and great grandparents we have been left a cornucopia of art and social history, which year after year continues to excite and fascinate.

If you would like to learn more about the joys of collecting postcards why not join us in the South Wales Postcard Club, you will be most welcome.

Richard Phillips Chairman, S.W.P.C. 

Principal Officers

Chair - Richard Phillips
Secretary - Vacant
Treasurer – David Salter
Editor Cardtalk – Gareth Thomas

For further information email: swpcc@hotmail.com