Superb images of days gone by in Portsmouth captured in postcards sold by auctioneers

The two real photographic Portsmouth postcards shows oil boring at Paulsgrove in 1936 and a late Edwardian or early Georgian street scene of Buckland Street during a celebratory event.

The cards were among a collection of 580 mainly Portsmouth area postcards which sold towards the higher end of estimate for £720, excluding buyers commission, at Southsea auctioneers Nesbits’ last sale.

The oil boring at Paulsgrove started on March 30, 1936, and was the first time the D’Arcy Exploration Co Ltd tried to find oil in England.

The works were abandoned in February 1937 by which time the 165ft high derrick had reached non-porous rock at around 6,500 feet – with only traces of oil found.

Buckland Street, diagonally opposite the western end of New Road, links Hanway Road and Kingston Road in Portsmouth, but is unrecognisable today from the postcard scene with children in the bunting-adorned road were not threatened by passing traffic.

SEE ALSO: Old pictures from Milton

Auctioneer Daniel Tricker said: ‘This was a superb local collection of postcards reflecting days gone by in the city.

‘I wonder how many people knew that they had bored for oil on Portsdown Hill or the story behind this? Fortunately this superb image was captured for posterity on a postcard.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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