Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Europa stamps - Poster Art, Pub signs - 12 August 2003

Royal Mail's contribution to the 2003 Europa theme - Poster Art - focusses on the advertising signs which have been placed outside Inns, or public houses, for centuries. The 1st class and 'E' stamps incorporate the CEPT/Europa emblem in the lower right part of the design.

Centuries ago people brewed ale for their own use, and those who had surplus to sell would display an 'alestake' outside their home. This was a sprig of foliage, and as such survives in pub names such as 'The Bush'. Town inns had more elaborate signs so that patrons could distinguish one from another - many at that time being unable to read - and in 1393 King Richard II decreed that all alehouses should display a sign.

1st class 28p The Station Thurscoe, by Andrew Davidson	'E' rate 38p The Black Swan by Stanley Chew.	42p The Cross Keys south-west London, by George Mackenney	47p The Mayflower Southsea, by Ralph Ellis	68p The Barley Sheaf Bodmin, by Joy Cooper

Royal Mail has been especially associated with inns since the eighteenth century when King Henry VIII created the first official postal services and engaged innkeepers to keep horses for his dispatch riders. Later, when coaches were used to carry the mails, 'coaching inns' were established offering stabling, meals and accommodation for the passengers. These mailcoaches were commemorated by a set of stamps issued in 1984 (SG 1258-62) with some designs showing inns, notably The Swan with two necks and The Angel both in London, and The Pheasant Winterslow. The issue also spawned a series of Post Office postcards showing coaches outside The George Hotel Reading, The Ostrich Colnbrook, The George at Southwark, The Star & Garter at Kew, The Coach & Horses at Ilford, The Old White Lion at North Finchley and possibly others. Pub signs also appeared on a series of stamp booklet covers in 1994.

Although well-painted, most signs had quite a short life due to being exposed to extremes of weather, so Royal Mail researches were obliged to use archives of the artists and breweries to find suitable signs for the stamps.

Andrew Davidson is a well-known commercial artists and book illustrator and produced pub signs for John Smith's Yorkshire Brewery. The Station and The Railway became popular names for pubs in many towns and villages in the 19th century with the spread of railways.

From 1960 Stanley Chew painted more than 600 signs mostly for Bass Brewery in the West of England. The Black Swan was the colloquial name for a mantrap in the Middle Ages, and became synonymous with reprobates. It first appeared on a pub sign in Lincoln in 1660.

George Mackenney studied art during the 1930s and painted more than 6000 signs, mostly for Charles Wells Brewery of Bedford in a 30-year career. The Cross Keys dates back to early Christian heraldry and appear on stamps of the Vatican and Papal States. This sign is thought to have been commissioned for the Courage Brewery.

Ralph Gordon Ellis, who started painting after World War I, was a noted painter of portraits and landcapes, and also painted over 250 inn signs for breweries long-gone, such as Atkinson, Brickwood, Fremlin, Watney & Whitbread. The Mayflower is not a common pub name, and this one was commissioned by the Portsmouth Brewery.

Joy Cooper, using her maiden name Joy Linton, painted many signs for the St Austell Brewery in Cornwall in the 1940s. The Barley Sheaf is not a common name, being mainly confined to the west country; in the rest of Britain The Barley Mow is more common. Both allude to barley being the main ingredient of beer.

Technical details:
The 50-stamp sheets have been designed by Elmwood and are printed by De La Rue in gravure. All images except FDCs are taken from Royal Mail's Philatelic Bulletin and Postmark Bulletin, and are Copyright 2003 by Royal Mail.

The special postmarks available for use on the issue date are shown below.

Ref M8655 Pub Signs, Cross Keys, Hereford	Ref N8658 The Scapehouse Inn, Scapegoat Hill, Huddersfield HD7 4NJ	Ref L8654 Pubs & Stars of Jazz, New Orleans Walk, London N19	Ref FD317 Philatelic Bureau Official postmark	Ref FD318 Cross Keys, Hereford, official postmark
Ref E8663 Shepher Neame Master Brewers, Britain's Oldest Brewer, Faversham, Kent	Ref L8652 Lord's Cricket Ground, London NW8 8QN	Ref L8653 R.A.T.S. Real Ale Tasting Society, London WC1	Ref W8665 The Inn Sign Society, Queens Head, Oswestry	Ref W8666 Pub Signs, Beer, Seaton (Devon)
Ref M8671 'Time Gentlemen Please', Leicester	Ref M8672 Pub Signs, Birmingham	Ref L8670 Historic Pub Signs, British Beer Pub Association, London SW8	Ref L8669 Taverners Way, London E4	Ref N8675 'Time Gentlemen Please', Thurnscoe, Rotherham, S Yorkshire [1st class stamp]
Ref N8676 'Time Gentlemen Please', Lincoln ['E' class stamp]	Ref N8674 The Big Match, Manchester In use until 11 August 2004	Ref N8677 Pub Signs, The Crown, Birchfield Road, Widnes	Ref W8681 'Time Gentlemen Please', Bodmin, Cornwall [68p stamp]	Ref E8679 'Time Gentlemen Please', Southsea, Hants [47p stamp]
				<<<<< This postmark was used by Bletchley Park PO on their own covers but was also used on a Winston Churchill commemorative cover by Todd Ronnei . Todd may still have some of these for sale - follow the email link on that site.
Ref E8678 The Nutshell, The Smallest Pub in Britain, Bury St Edmunds	Ref W8680 Life of "HMS Black Swan" 1934-1956, Devonport, Plymouth	Ref M8687 Drinker's End, Gloucester, Pub Signs	Ref E8688 "Captain Ridley's Billets", Bletchley Park Post Office

This page updated 31 August 2003 [7.2.05]

	2003 stamp issues			2004
14 January Birds of Prey	21 January Flowers Greetings Stamps Smilers Sheet	4 February Occasions/Greetings stamps and Smilers sheet	25 February Medical Science - DNA & Genome	4 March Hello SA booklet & Wales 1st reprint
25 March Fun Fruit & Vegetables	27 March New definitives, SA airmail booklets of 40gr stamps	29 April Extreme Endeavours	6 May 34p definitives	20 May Wilding II miniature sheet
28 May Wales 2nd class, 1st class gold reprints	2 June - 50th Anniversary of the Coronation	17 June Prince William of Wales	1 July High Value Definitive reprints	15 July British Journey - Scotland
29 July Cartoons Smilers Sheet	12 August - Pub Signs - Europa	18 September Transports of Delight - toys	30 September Christmas Robin Smilers Sheet	7 October 250th Anniv. of British Museum
13 October Reprints of Country Stamps	4 November Christmas: Ice Sculptures	18 December England World Cup - Rugby Winners	HOME