Parcels Collection

The Village, Glangrwyney, Crickhowell, Wales
The Village, Glangrwyney, Crickhowell, near Abergavenny, Breconshire, Wales. Showing Great Western Railway Station Parcels Receiving Office and the Blue Bell Inn. Date: 1904

Christmas parcels for the trenches 1916
Army Post Office in Regents Park, was receiving a rate of half a million parcels for Christmas a day for the soldiers in the trenches

St. Georges Hospital, London
St. Georges Hospital, now the Lanesborough Hotel, London Date: circa 1903

Sorting Post 1930S
One of the hundreds of groups of auxiliaries at the General Post Office (GPO), dispatching parcels to distant colonies during the usual Christmas postal rush

Parcels Post Van C1870
Parcels Post van of the British Post Office

Sorting Post 1930S
A postal worker at the General Post Office (GPO), at Mount Pleasant, north London, sorts out parcels on a conveyor belt in the warehouse

WW2 poster, Merchant Navy Comforts Service
WW2 poster advertising the Merchant Navy Comforts Service, which organised parcels of food, drink, clothing and other comforts during the war. Date: 1940s

Christmas at the Front - Unpacking the Parcels from Home
A group of British soldiers share the contents of a hamper which has been delivered to them at the Front. A Christmas pudding is held aloft and the scene is of general jollity

Railway Sleeper - Crewe Station
The Railway Sleeper series - A snoozing railway porter at Crewe Station. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

Passenger Brake Parcel Van, No. 79
Built in 1933 to diagram No. K40, lot 1481

Blitz in London -- salvaged mail, Calthorpe Street, WW2
Blitz in London -- following the bombing of Mount Pleasant Post Office on 18 June 1943, salvaged mail was temporarily piled up in nearby Calthorpe Street. Date: 1943

Mutoscope postcard - Laden girl in a spot of bother
Help Wanted !! Humorous Mutoscope postcard featuring an attractive young lady in a spot of bother as her pet dog dashes off in the wrong direction (the lead causing a skirt mishap)

Strand Refuge, Edmonton
The Strand Union Workhouse at Edmonton used to house Belgian refugees during the First World War. A group of adults and children, some carrying parcels, are milling around the entrance gates

Edna Colyer ready too hand out Christmas Presents to the Hearne Hill Harriers after a three mile run at Tooting Bec Common December 1953 Neg No D7674

French parcel delivery man at Christmas, 1913
A busy parcel delivery man in Paris seen hard at work during the Christmas season. Attched to one of the big magasins or department stores, he is loaded with parcels and packages up to his chin

Parcel Delivery Tricycle
A Royal Mail parcels post delivery tricycle

Food parcels courtesy of the Red Cross arriving at German prison camps during World War One
3502797 Food parcels courtesy of the Red Cross arriving at German prison camps during World War One, from The Pageant of the Century

The Eastern Counties Railway and the arrival of the Christmas parcels train in London. 1850 (engraving)
5615943 The Eastern Counties Railway and the arrival of the Christmas parcels train in London. 1850 (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG.

Advertisement for a wagon and parcels service
5312101 Advertisement for a wagon and parcels service; (add.info.: Advertisement for a wagon and parcels service. Dated 19th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

A fly van
5312100 A fly van; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a fly van, used to carry parcels from Cheltenham to London in under 24 hours. Dated 19th century.); Universal History Archive/UIG.

A scene at Liverpool Street Station during World War One, from The Pageant of the Century, pub.1934
3502774 A scene at Liverpool Street Station during World War One, from The Pageant of the Century, pub.1934; (add.info.: A scene at Liverpool Street Station during World War One)

Christmas Appeal by the Bavarian Red Cross, pub. Munich, c.1914-18 (colour litho)
1073880 Christmas Appeal by the Bavarian Red Cross, pub. Munich, c.1914-18 (colour litho) by Puttner, Walter (1872-1953); Private Collection; (add.info)

Shoot for Woman's Own - Father's Day
Shoot for Woman's Own Special Advertisement Feature - Father's Day - circa late 1950s Date: circa late 1950s

German soldiers, seen here in a French village, recieve packages of food from home during World War One
3502752 German soldiers, seen here in a French village, recieve packages of food from home during World War One, from The Pageant of the Century, pub.1934; (add.info.: German soldiers)

Xmas boxes for U.S. soldiers, Dec 1917. Creator: Bain News Service
Xmas boxes for U.S. soldiers, Dec 1917. Army officers established a "Christmas box hospital" for the repair of Christmas boxes received in bad condition

Home for the Christmas holidays - drawn by A. Hunt, 1860. Creator: Murden
Home for the Christmas holidays - drawn by A. Hunt, 1860. From "Illustrated London News", 1860

Egg Packaging, 1915. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Egg Packaging, 1915. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Egg Packaging, 1915. Labels for sending eggs and empty egg boxes through the post. When Tag is attached from one end the string cancels address not in use; Place Forward Postage Here; Forward

Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912. Creator: Unknown
Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912. Goods waiting for despatch by delivery van

Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912. Creator: Unknown
Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912

Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912. Creator: Unknown
Woodward & Lothrop's Department Store, Washington, D.C. Trucks, 1912

Old Point Comfort, Va. - Wharf, 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Old Point Comfort, Va. - Wharf, 1914
Old Point Comfort, Virginia - Wharf, 1914. Parcels of currant jelly in Swift & Company crates

Riggs Bldg. Post Office, between 1910 and 1920. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Riggs Bldg
Riggs Bldg. Post Office, between 1910 and 1920. Postal workers and customers, USA. Note scales at left for weighing parcels

Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914
Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914

Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914
Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914

Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914
Post Office Department - Parcel Post, 1914

Post Office Department - Dead Letter Mail, Supt. Marvin Mclean And Mrs. Clara R.A. Nelson, 1917

Reception, by Messrs. Cuthbert, Paternoster-Row, of Lint, Etc. for the Wounded at Scutari, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Reception, by Messrs. Cuthbert, Paternoster-Row, of Lint, Etc. for the Wounded at Scutari, 1854. Warehouse for donations to the Nightingale Hospital in Turkey

Egg box, between 1909 and 1923. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Egg box, between 1909 and 1923. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Egg box, between 1909 and 1923. Labels for sending eggs and empty egg boxes through the post. When Tag is attached from one end the string cancels address not in use; Place Forward Postage Here;

Arrival of Christmas Train, Eastern Counties Railway - drawn by Duncan, 1850. Creator: Unknown
Arrival of Christmas Train, Eastern Counties Railway - drawn by Duncan, 1850. Porters unloading Christmas parcels at a station. Illustration to a poem by D

Extraordinary Accumulation of Postage Stamps, 1850. Creator: Unknown
Extraordinary Accumulation of Postage Stamps, 1850....a young lady...was to be placed in a convent, by her father, if she did not procure...one million of used postage stamps

Receiving goods at the International Exhibition Building, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Receiving goods at the International Exhibition Building, [South Kensington, London], 1862. Our Illustration represents a section of the busy scenes within the building of the International

The Goodies, filming a sequence for new BBC programme Down to Earth, pictured outside Shepherds Bush Shopping Precinct, Saturday 13th May 1972

The last train waits at Washington Station for the signal to pull out on 13th June 1963

Porters checking parcels that have arrived by train at Ashby-de-la-Zouch railway station. Glass negs taken 1958

Nos comptes sont faciles a établir.. 1844. Creator: Honore Daumier
Nos comptes sont faciles a etablir.. 1844. Nos comptes sont faciles a etablir...vous m'avez confie mille exemplaires de votre recueil poetique intitule "soupirs de mon ame..." vingt

Royal Visit to Birmingham - 7th July, 1909 - castellated arch with Forward below coat of arms - London & North Western Railway Company (L&NWR) Parcels Office and expectant crowd. Date: 1909

Cotswolds postman delivering parcel, 1938
Cotwolds postman delivering a parcel to a woman over a cottage gate in 1938. He is riding a pony and has parcels of a variety of shapes to deliver, including a dead unplucked goose. Date: 1938

Gifts of Pears Soap been wrapped up to be sent to the front during World War Two. Date: 1915

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Delivering Love and Comfort: Unraveling the Story of Parcels" Step back in time to the year 1916, amidst the chaos of World War I. Christmas parcels for the trenches brought glimmers of joy to weary soldiers, reminding them of home and loved ones. Meanwhile, at St. Georges Hospital in London, parcels filled with hope arrived daily, offering solace to those battling injuries. Venturing further into The Village in Glangrwyney, Crickhowell, Wales, we witness a heartwarming scene - locals coming together to send parcels filled with warmth and support to their brave servicemen. Fast forward to the 1930s when sorting post became an art form. Dedicated postal workers meticulously organized packages destined for various corners of the world from their bustling sorting offices. In this journey through time, we encounter a charming sight - a Parcels Post Van from c1870 gracefully maneuvering through busy streets as it carries precious cargo that connects people across vast distances. During World War II, a striking poster catches our eye - promoting the Merchant Navy Comforts Service which ensured that essential supplies reached seafarers serving on dangerous waters far away from home. Amidst war-torn landscapes during Christmas at the Front; soldiers eagerly unpacked parcels sent by loved ones – these simple gifts providing moments of respite amidst turmoil and uncertainty. A railway sleeper at Crewe Station becomes more than just a resting place for trains; it symbolizes countless journeys made by parcels carrying messages of love and longing between separated families during times both peaceful and tumultuous. The Blitz ravages London's streets but even amid destruction salvaged mail is found on Calthorpe Street – testament to resilience as letters and packages survive against all odds during wartime chaos. Advertisements play their part too; Wrights Coal Tar Soap advertisement during WW1 highlights how even toiletries were cherished items within carefully curated parcels, offering a touch of luxury amidst the hardships.