Postcard 'treasure trove' offers window into past

The postcards range in date from the early 1900s up to the 1980s

A "treasure trove" of historic Lake District postcards has been uncovered and put online for public viewing.

The 140-strong collection was found by Nigel Wilkinson, managing director of Lake Windermere Cruises, in the belongings of his dad, Ralph.

Ranging in date from the early 1900s up to the 1980s, some are by the celebrated Keswick-based photographer George Perry Abraham.

"It's a wonderful, nostalgic window into Windermere’s past", Mr Wilkinson said.

He explained he was unaware of the collection until he came across it while sorting out his dad's possessions.

"He has failing memory and has moved into a care village with my mum," he said.

"We have quite an extensive collection of postcards in the archive but there are many in my dad's collection we have never seen before."

Windermere, featured in many of the postcards, is England's longest lake

Ralph Wilkinson, now 87, had a lifelong love of the Lake District, his son said, and wrote a book about it in 1985 - Touring Cumbria and The Lake District: A Motorist's Guide.

Most of the postcards contain images of England's longest lake, Windermere.

But they also show other locations, attractions and hotels in the Lake District, and some contain messages from holidaymakers in the area.

His son described the postcards as "a real treasure trove for anyone who has an affection for the area".

The collection has been digitised by Windermere Lake Cruises and can be viewed online.

Some of the postcards are by a renowned Lake District photographer