Brislington Community Museum

Senior & Co, Bristol

This publisher produced postcards of Brislington using the collotype process in monochrome and colour. Some state they were published by Senior, others that they were printed by Senior, and at least one doesn't say.

Senior & Co were based at 4 Pitville Place, Cotham Hill, Bristol, and were listed in the annual Wright's Directory of Bristol from 1905 to 1911 inclusive. Their listings were under two headings: printers and publishers (pages 741 and 744 respectively in 1905, and pages 850 and 854 in 1911). They produced postcards of other parts of Bristol and elsewhere in the region, and also - strangely at first glance - India.

In October 1907 the photographer James Senior married Ethel Norris at Hammersmith, London. James was 32 years old, and a bachelor living in London; and Ethel, a spinster aged 31, was living at Woodland House, The Square, Brislington. Previous census returns show Ethel was brought up at Woodland House, and on various dates in the spring of 1897 she and half-a-dozen other members of her immediate family (including her parents) were baptised in the church of St Luke, Brislington.

The census of 1911 shows the couple living with their two children at Winterbourne, to the north of Bristol. His occupation is given as printer and engraver (collotype and photo engraving processes), and his birthplace is stated as Central Provinces, India.

The couple share a burial monument in Auckland, New Zealand, showing Ethel died in 1934, and James in 1940.


Brislington postcards

These postcards have been sequenced in the order a visitor might see the sights, travelling on the Bath Road coming from Bristol, and occasionally exploring side roads.

St Philips Causeway - Black Castle, Brislington. Published in print by Crimmins, Graham et al, 2008, page 25. Earliest known picture: 03 Apr 1912.

St Philips Causeway - Entrance to Black Castle, Brislington. Published online at Bristol Archives. Published in print by Chard, Judith et al 1995, page 31. Earliest known picture: 18 Aug 1908.

Sandy Park Road - Sandy Park Rd. Brislington. Earliest known picture: 27 Jul 1911.

Sandy Park Road - Sandy Park Road, Brislington. Earliest known picture: 19 Aug 1907.

Kensington Park (Bath Road, A4) - Kensington Hill Brislington. Published in print by Fisher, Janet & Derek undated, page 4. Earliest known picture: 29 May 1909.

Kensington Park Road - Kensington Park Rd., Brislington. Earliest known picture: 8 Nov 1906.

Grove Park - Kensington Hill, Brislington. Published online at Bristol Archives. Published in print by Chard, Judith et al 1995, page 20. Earliest known picture: 24 July 1906.

Grove Park - Grove Park, Brislington. Earliest known picture: 18 Mar 1909.

Grove Park - [ Untitled ]. Published online at Bristol Archives. Published in print by Chard, Judith et al 1995, page 65. Earliest known picture: 24 Dec 1913.

Talbot Road - Talbot Lane, Brislington. Published online at Bristol Archives. Earliest known picture: 27 Aug 1912.

Water Lane - Water Lane, Brislington. Published online at Bristol Archives. Earliest known picture: 1906.

Bristol Hill - Brislington Village. Earliest known picture: 18 Mar 1909.

The Square (Bath Road, A4) - Brislington Village.

Church Parade, Church of St Luke - Brislington Church. Earliest known picture: 11 OCt 1907.

Eastwood Road. - Eastwood Road. Published in print by Crimmins, Graham et al, 2008, page 19; and Fisher, Janet & Derek undated, page 32.

Birchwood Road - Estate Office, St. Anne's Park. Published in print by Fisher, Janet & Derek undated, page 43; and Fisher, Janet et al 1989, page 39; and Fisher, Janet & Derek 2001, page 21. Earliest known picture: 15 Aug 1908.

First Avenue - 1st Avenue. Published in print by Fisher, Janet & Derek undated, page 33. Earliest known picture: 4 Aug 1912.

Birchwood Road. - Birchwood Road. Published in print by Crimmins, Graham et al, 2008, page 19; and Fisher, Janet & Derek undated, page 32. Earliest known picture: Oct 1914.


Ken Taylor


We can't exhibit these postcards until we have permission from the copyright owner, and regrettably we don't yet know who that is.