IN Fog and Falling Snow, a play about the life and times of the 'Railway King' George Hudson featuring a cast of more than 200 local people, is in full swing at the National Railway Museum.

So we were intrigued to come across an old photograph in our archives relating to an earlier play about the man who brought the railways to York.

Sounding Brass, an 'entirely new play' by Leslie Burgess about the life of George Hudson, ran for a week from Monday June 4 during the 1951 York Festival. The photograph, taken on June 2, shows Lester Barrett, the actor who played Hudson, apparently being given some last-minute directions by a Mr M Stains. And the painting in the background? That is, of course, a representation of Hudson himself.

We don't know much more about the production of Sounding Brass - so if any readers remember seeing it - or even better, being in it - we'd be delighted to hear from you.

We also found a couple of old photographs showing the York Sorting Office in Leeman Road in our archives. One was taken on December 22, 1961, and shows staff on either side of a conveyor belt of letters, struggling to cope with the Christmas rush. No automatic sorting by postcode in those days. The second, taken 13 years later and again just before Christmas, shows work in full swing at the sorting office on December 17, 1974.

And finally, a mystery photo, supplied by Graham Mitchell, vice chair of the York Community Furniture Store. It shows a young woman in what, at first glance, looks like a full-length white wedding dress. On the back of the photograph, however, are written some words which seem to belie that. "When I was presented to Her Majesty the Queen at York Mansion House, Aug 1947," it says.

York Press: Mystery Photo

The mystery photo of a young woman with the words "When I was presented to Her Majesty the Queen at York Mansion House, August 1947" written on the back.

The photograph was found in the drawer of an item of furniture that had been donated to Mr Mitchell's charity store. "We would like to reunite the photo with the owner, or their family," he says.

So would we. So if you recognise the woman in the photo, get in touch, and we'll put you on to Mr Mitchell, who has the original...