As the holiday season gets underway, MAXINE GORDON shares some old postcards from York

WILL you be sending any postcards from your travels this summer?

In the age of emails, texting and Facebook, postcards can seem SO last century.

But there is something charming and hugely personal about receiving a picture postcard.

Of course in the days before telephones when we only had snail mail, they were an important way for people to communicate with each other.

This collection of postcards of York was loaned to us by reader David Sempers. Some date back more than 100 years and show some of York's most famous views, including Clifford's Tower, Bootham Bar, York Minster and Petergate.

The one featuring Shambles, which looks like a photograph that has been hand coloured before being printed into a postcard, has a date stamp: "Northallerton, April 26, 07". It is addressed to a Miss Shepherd, Prospect House, Leeming, nr Bedale and reads: "Dear J, All being well Daisy and I will come by the train. Hoping you are better."

The picture postcard marked "North Eastern Station & Hotel, York", and date marked "York, May 14, 13" shows an eerily quiet station front with a tram, an early car and a few pedestrians. What a difference a century makes. Again, the postcard has been sent with news. "Dear M. Just a line to say I got back at 12 o'clock. The train broke down at Pilmoor and we had to get out and change and they kept us waiting over half an hour, but it was all right."

Broken down trains – some things it seems never change despite the distance of more than 100 years!