A HISTORY lover who has spent the last 15 years collecting postcards by a famous Bridport photographer is to launch his most recent book.

Neil Mattingly will launch Charmouth - 100 Years Ago at a  meeting of Charmouth Local History Society at Charmouth Village Hall on Friday, November 3 at 7pm.

The meeting will include an illustrated talk from Mr Mattingly on the village's Abbots House, covering its 500 year history from its construction in 1525 to date.

After the talk on Abbots House, there wil be a half hour interval for refreshments and Mr Mattingly will then talk about his new book.  

Charmouth - 100 Years Ago gives the reader a unique window into how the picturesque village appeared to a visitor 100 years ago.

The book takes readers on a visual tour of Charmouth through a series of postcards that Claud Hider began to sell  from 1922. This was the year he established his shop and studio at 42 South Street in Bridport.

He toured the immediate countryside in his Model T Ford automobile and recorded all that he could see that would be saleable in postcard form.

Mr Mattingly and Ken Farmer have managed to collect more than 1,500 of these so far.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: This view looking down the Street is almost unrecognizable today, apart from the building on the corner, which houses The Pharmacy. The original structure dated back to the 18th century, when it was the office for the Steward for the Manor. This view looking down the Street is almost unrecognizable today, apart from the building on the corner, which houses The Pharmacy. The original structure dated back to the 18th century, when it was the office for the Steward for the Manor. (Image: Claud Hider/Neil Mattingly)

Claud Hider published more than 200 postcards of Charmouth alone soon after opening his shop. William Holly, who ran the village post office on the Street, became his outlet for these, which he displayed on a rack outside.

Mr Hider initially teamed up with fellow photographer, Henry Lawrence and began numbering the postcards using their initials. He later altered this to his own name with a number and a description which appeared on the front. The earliest number so far found for Charmouth is H.L.17 dated to 1st September 1922 and the last number found so far is HIDER 1125.

The postcards have become very sought after as they are of very high quality and the more animated ones command a high price today. They reveal a long lost era in both Bridport and the surrounding villages.

Many are small works of art which can be greatly enlarged yet still maintain their high definition.

There were other photographers at the time producing postcards, but the sheer quantity and variety of Mr Hider's work stands out.

Bridport and Lyme Regis News: This astonishing photograph shows an elephant from a visiting circus outside shops in Charmouth, soon after they were built in 1934This astonishing photograph shows an elephant from a visiting circus outside shops in Charmouth, soon after they were built in 1934 (Image: Claud Hider/Neil Mattingly)

For his new book Mr Mattingly has chosen 100 postcards from his collection which represent the village at that time.

The collection follows a route around the village and then along the beach and associated buildings and events that Mr Hider recorded.

Mr Mattingly has carried out considerable research into each image to provide valuable information about the subjects.

He hopes that the reader will conclude, as he does, that Claud Hider left us a magnificent legacy in the many hundreds of postcards that he produced.

The new book will be on sale at the meeting of Charmouth Local History Society. Admission is free and donations are invited. 

  • Charmouth - 100 Years Ago is published by Charmouth Local History Society at £7.99 and is available from outlets in Charmouth.