Robert George Murduck

Photograph No. 0028

Exmouth From the Beacon

Murduck Photo No. 0029 - Exmouth From The Beacon

This is a faded image overlooking the seafront, the Clock Tower, and the Esplanade at Exmouth, Devonshire, England. It's labelled as 'from the Beacon', but it's very similar to another image taken from a slightly different (and slightly lower) vantage point, which is labelled as 'from the Plantation' (see Murduck Photo No. 0016).

This real photo postcard from Ian Wright's collection shows the 'standard' early manuscript 'MURDUCK PHOTO' attribution at the bottom, right.

The original postcard behind this image was not apparently postally used.

This seems to have been a fairly popular image, based on the numbers of examples that have been offered on ebay recently, as described below:

- One is a much more crisp and much less faded image, which also offers a slightly more expansive view to the left and right. This one is said to have been postally used. No sense of the postmark date is noted, but it was described as having a 'franking indentation', and it was said to have been dated 'Pre-1914', so that was presumably the date it was postmarked. This card was offered for sale at auction by 'sunnys_mum', starting on 29 April 2023 at £12.00.

- Another is also a very sharp and crisp image, but without the more expansive view - in this sense it resembles the one shown above. The item description does not mention anything about the card itself being postally used. It was offered for sale by auction by 'yorkshirebidding' early in May, 2023, starting at £10.00. This particular image has a large ugly gash/tear in the middle of the card on the left edge.

- Third is an image that is similarly faded compared to the one shown above, but it otherwise appears to be in fine condition. This card was postally used, bearing an Exmouth postmark 18 April 1906, addressed to Miss Jennie Smart in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire. This card was offered for sale by auction by 'serendipityindorset' in early May, 2023 starting at £4.75. This card was offered for sale again, by the same seller, in early August, 2023, the starting auction price this time was £2.50. And this card was offered for sale again by auction in late August, 2023, starting at £1.25

- The fourth example is much more faded than the one that shows above. The fourth example was also postally used, bearing an Exmouth postmark 31 January 1910. The card was addressed to Mr. W. G. Richards in Cardiff. This card was offered for sale repeatedly by 'andrewrichmond' in 2022 and 2023 at £5.60. This particular image can also be identified by a black spot at the very top of the image, just an inch or so from the right edge.