In 1903 the firm Rush & Warwick was describes as booksellers, printers and publishers at 39 Harpur Street, Bedford. It produced a large number of good quality coloured view post cards, of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire. Apart from minor variations, described below, they all have identical backs, and apparently all were published in the 1905-1907/8 period. I suspect that, like a number of other local businesses, the company decided to get on the post card bandwagon. It could be that they were approached by a specialist printer in Saxony, which arranged to take the photographs during the summer of 1905. The first cards were ready by the following Christmas (some with a special Christmas message) and others were printed over the following months (the later ones reflecting the change in the IPU rules on the divided back. It is possible that they printed more cards than they could easily sell - and they decided not to publish any more once stocks had cleared. Comparison of the Bedfordshire directories for 1898, 1903 and 1910 suggest that the company was contracting during this period. However the company survived as a printer and still exists.

		Rush & Warwick Back No 1. All the early cards had this back (normally without the printed Christmas Message) and cannot be earlier than 1902. The earliest example I have seen was posted on 24th December 1905. (with Xmas message).   Rush & Warwick Back No 2. The only change relates to the ability to write a message on the left for any destination - so this back cannot be earlier than 1906. The earliest example I have seen was posted on 6th August 1906.   A small number of of these cards are printed in red.

While the photographs were probably taken in 1905, for dating purposes unposted Type 1 cards can be safely dated as c1906 while unposted Type 2 can be dated as c1907.

The Old Stocks, Aldbury Type 2	Girls School, Berkhamsted Type 1	Halton House Type 2 - Posted 1908	St Mary's Church, Hitchin Type 1- Posted 1906
Knebworth House Type 2 - posted 1908	Little Gaddesden Church Type 1 - posted 1907	Mentmore Towers Type 1 - Posted 1905
The Vicarage, Tring Type 2 - Posted 1906	Tring Church Type 2 - Posted 1908	The Museum. Tring Type 1
The Market Place, Watford Type 1	The Pond, Watford Type 1	The Grove, Watford Type 1 -Posted 1906	Cassiobury, Watford Type 1 - Posted 1907
Wesleyan Church, Watford

Please tell me if you have any further information on Rush & Warwick postcards in Hertfordshire.

 Working Notes from Online Directories

Kelley -1890

Rush & Warwick, stationers, Market Place, Leighton Buzzard

Leighton Buzzard Weekly Reporter & Advertiser (Rush & Warwick, propietors, pub Friday) Market Square, Leighton Buzzard

 

Kelly - Bedfordshire - 1898

Newspapers: Bedford & County Record & General Advertiser, 5 Harpur street, publishedfriday for saturday; Beds Publishing Co. proprietors, & Rush & Warwick, printers & publishers.

The Eagle Magazine, printed and published three times yearly by Rush & Warwick, 5 Harpur Street, Bedford

.... booksellers, stationers & printers, 5 Harper Street.

William Warwick, bookseller, stationer, printer & publisher &c. see Rush & Warwick (Bedford)

Leighton Buzzard Weekly Reporter & Advertiser (Rush & Warwick, propietors, pub Friday) High Street & Market Suqare, Leighton Buzzard

Rush & Warwick, stationers, High Street & Market Square, Leighton Buzzard

 

Kelly - Bedfordshire - 1903

Newspapers: The Eagle Magazine, printed and published three times yearly by Rush & Warwick, 39 Harpur Street, Bedford

Rush & Warwick, booksellers, printers & publishers of the "Eagle Magazine," 39 Harpur Street, Bedford. Agents for Sutton & Co, carriers

William Warwick, bookseller &c. see Rush & Warwick (Bedford)

Rush & Warwick, stationers, Market Square, Leighton Buzzard

David Rush, Registrar of BMD, 25 Market Square, Leighton Buzzard

Samuel Rush, 4 Hardwarden villas, Gladstone Street, Bedford

 

Kelly - Bedfordshire - 1910

Rush & Warwick, printers, 115A Midland Road, Bedford

At 25 Market Square, Leighton Buzzard

Not listed as stationers at Bedford