North Thoresby Railway Station postcard, c.1912–1918

This postcard depicts North Thoresby Railway Station during the early twentieth century, looking along the platforms towards the station buildings, signal box and a waiting steam train. Opened on 1 March 1848 on the East Lincolnshire Railway, the station served the surrounding rural communities for more than a century, carrying passengers, agricultural produce and goods across Lincolnshire.

The reverse is addressed to Miss L. Coulbeck, 32 Rowston Street, Cleethorpes, almost certainly Lizzie (Elizabeth) Coulbeck, daughter of Richard and Fanny Coulbeck, who were recorded at that address in the 1911 Census. The card bears a ½d green King George V stamp, first issued in 1912, suggesting it was posted between c.1912 and 1918, although the postmark is too indistinct to determine the exact year.

Part of the handwritten message is obscured by overlapping pen strokes but appears to read:

"Mother. Just a line to tell you we go to the City tomorrow. So when you write, write to Coates. We all send our love to all."

The place name is not entirely certain but appears to read "Coates", probably referring to North Coates, a village a few miles east of North Thoresby. If correct, the message reflects the everyday movements of a local family and highlights the railway's importance in connecting communities across the Lincolnshire countryside.

Now preserved in the Grimsby & Cleethorpes Museum collection, this postcard is significant not only for its detailed view of North Thoresby Station but also for the personal correspondence it preserves. The station itself survives today as part of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, making the postcard both an evocative record of its Edwardian appearance and a tangible link to the lives, journeys and family connections of ordinary Lincolnshire people more than a century ago.