Retro: Mystery postcard house - UPDATE

David Cliffe • Published 14 Jan 2010 07:00 0 Comments

THIS week's picture is from a set of three postcards from the studio of H A Giles.

They are numbered 25, 26 and 27, but since they came to me in a jumble, and some of the cards had already been removed from some of the sequences, I haven't been able to re-assemble the series, which would have helped work out where this house was.

Mr Giles worked from his home in Audley Street, Reading, and was at his most active in the 1930s, so the postcard probably dates from then.

So here we have a large house, by a sweeping drive, with a pillared portico, and faced with what appears to be Bath stone.

At the right-hand end of the main front is a two-storey bay window, with an iron balcony to the upper floor.

There are three French windows to the left of the portico, and beyond them is a lean-to conservatory.

By peering at the original card, I can see that the figure to the right of the portico is that of a lady in a long skirt, with a little dog jumping up at her.

The other two postcards, Nos 25 and 27, don't give us any more clues, I'm afraid.

A shrubbery to the left of the conservatory hides much of that side of the house. I can't help wondering whether Mr Giles managed to sell many of these postcards to the lady with the dog.

In the box in which I received them, these postcards were near others showing scenes around Calcot and Theale, so our mystery house may well be in that area. If you recognise it, or if you have the good fortune to live there, please get in touch, so that I can catalogue the postcards.

Otherwise, they will have to join the ranks of the "unidentified", which can be seen on the library website. Go to www.readinglibraries.org.uk, then "renewals and library catalogue", "catalogue", then the tab for "local illustrations", and you'll see the unidentified ones at the bottom of the page.

-------UPDATE-------

Despite readers convinced that this picture showed the Coley Mansion House, Balmore Park in Caversham, or in Mill Lane, Calcot, the truth lies in Sonning Common.

The house is Blounts Court, now owned by chemicals firm Johnson Matthey and used as its Technology Centre.

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