One of the earliest known, postally used Grimsby & Cleethorpes view postcards 1899.

Grimsby and Cleethorpes Multi-View Postcard

Posted from Grimsby to Wilhelmshaven, Germany – 5 October 1899

This charming late-Victorian postcard provides a glimpse of Grimsby and Cleethorpes at the end of the nineteenth century. Measuring 116 × 87 mm, it is an early multi-view postcard featuring four scenes that proudly showcased the town and its surroundings:

Parish Church (now Grimsby Minster)

Grimsby Docks

Cleethorpes Pier

Market Place

The card was posted in Grimsby on 5 October 1899 and franked with a 1 Penny Queen Victoria lilac stamp. It was addressed to a recipient in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, highlighting the close links that existed between North Sea ports through trade, travel, fishing, and maritime employment.

At the time, Grimsby was one of the world’s most important fishing ports, while Wilhelmshaven was a major German naval and commercial harbour. The postcard serves as a small but tangible reminder of the international connections that linked communities around the North Sea long before the age of electronic communication.

The Message

As this postcard predates the introduction of the divided back in Britain, the sender was required to write the message on the picture side while the reverse was reserved for the address.

The message is written in German. Some words remain difficult to decipher due to the handwriting and postal markings, but the text appears to read:

Original German

Grimsby, 5.10.99

L. Frl.!

Zum Gruß eine Ansichtskarte …

…

von M. W.

English Translation

Grimsby, 5 October 1899

Dear Miss,

A picture postcard sent as a greeting …

From M. W.

Although brief, the message reflects a common practice of the period. Picture postcards were often used simply to send greetings, with the image itself serving as a souvenir of the sender’s travels or place of residence.

Postal History

The postcard bears a clear Grimsby postmark dated 5 October 1899 and a Queen Victoria 1 Penny lilac stamp, one of the most widely used British stamps of the late Victorian era. The penny rate allowed postcards to be sent internationally through the Universal Postal Union network.

The recipient was addressed in Wilhelmshaven via:

Fräulein Marie [surname uncertain] c/o Fritz Ploeger Wilhelmshaven Germany

The exact surname of the recipient remains uncertain due to fading ink and postal markings.

Historical Significance

This postcard dates from the earliest years of the picture postcard boom and predates the Edwardian “Golden Age” of postcards. Its small format, undivided back, international destination, and surviving handwritten message make it a valuable example of everyday communication at the close of the Victorian era.

More than 125 years after it was posted, the card offers a snapshot of Grimsby and Cleethorpes at a time when the fishing industry dominated local life and when connections across the North Sea were part of everyday experience for many local people.

Date Posted: 5 October 1899 Origin: Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England Destination: Wilhelmshaven, Germany Stamp: Queen Victoria 1 Penny Lilac Format: Undivided-back multi-view postcard Dimensions: 116 mm × 87 mm

Note: The postcard was sourced from a dealer in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. Its journey from Grimsby to Wilhelmshaven in 1899, and eventually across the Atlantic to America, remains unknown.