1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree Commemorative Stamps #2

It was not until 1st August 1957 that the second set of commemorative stamps were issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. This was four years after the previous coronation set, and were issued to commemorate the World Scout Jubilee Jamboree. The Jamboree was held in Sutton Park, and was one of the biggest events ever held in Sutton Coldfield and involved scouts from 85 countries converging on the park to celebrate 50 years of scouting and the centenary of Lord Baden Powell’s birth.

The event was attended by both the Queen and the Prime minister of the time, Harold Macmillan. Because it was an international event hosted by Britain, it was deemed worthy enough to issue a set of commemorative stamps. Once again they followed the pattern of postal rate colours, being as they were 2 1/2d Red (Scout hitch and Rolling hitch), 4d Blue (“Scouts coming to Britain.”) and 1s 3d Green (Globe with Compass.).

This was an interesting issue because special rolls of stamps were produced, designed to service first day covers automatically. They were produced from different cylinders and printed on continuous reels of paper. The cylinders bore 126 impressions in 21 rows of six. The cylinders were numbered J1 for the 2 1/2d and 4d and J2 for the 1s 3d. (Technical details quoted from Gibbons GB Specialised catalogue Vol 3.) The reels were cut so as to provide single rolls of 4800 stamps, numbered 1-6. Interestingly, because of the speedy printing methods, numerous minor flaws have been reported on these stamps.

These rolls were available for sale on request at the London Chief Office, presumably for stamp dealers and other business individuals wishing to cash in on the Jubilee celebrations. This was the first time that coil stamps were available in an intact form, and drew much interest from stamp collectors wishing to add something unique to their collection. At the time many people collected stamps and mainstream collectors would buy whole sheets of stamps for their collection. In modern times this would cost a small fortune, but when you consider that the jubilee issue was the first series of commemorative stamps released for over 4 years, it does seem reasonable!

Official records do show that some collectors did buy the roll of 4800 stamps, although many collectors did not find it reasonable due to the huge cost. Technically the stamps would always be useable or exchangeable at post offices, so a few people brought them as an investment. Nobody could be sure if they would increase much in value, but they could guarantee that they will never decrease in value.

The Post Office finally relented to the feedback they were getting from philatelic customers and rolls of 4800 were rewound into smaller rolls of 480 stamps for the 2 1/2d and 4d, and rolls of 240 for the 1s3d.

[http://www.thetenoclockshow.co.uk/content/view/152/43/]

1957 World Scout Jubilee Jamboree Commemorative Stamps

"In early 1955, the Boy Scout Association sent a request for a stamp issue in connection with the Jamboree, and it was rejected in July 1955.

A second request was approved in spring 1956, and on 13 June 1956 it was announced in the House of Commons that three stamps would be issued.

Invitations were sent to nominated artists and printing firms to submit stamp designs, and 26 designs were received in October 1956. Royal approval was received for the final designs on 30 March 1957. The stamps were printed by Harrison & Sons, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and they were put on sale from 1 August 1957."

[http://www.slettebo.no/scout/1957-imprimaturs.pdf]

Hansard

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/sittings/1950s

Commemorative Stamps and Postmarks
HC Deb 21 February 1956 vol 549 cc30-1W30W

Mr. Woollam asked the Postmaster-General to arrange for the issue of a special postage stamp to the World Jamboree, to be held in Great Britain in June, 1957, which year will also mark the centenary of the birth of Robert Baden-Powell and the Golden Jubilee of the Boy Scout Movement.

Mr. Alport: I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Llewellyn) on 8th February.

Special Postage Stamps
HC Deb 13 June 1956 vol 554 c31W31W

Mr. Woollam asked the Postmaster-General whether he will arrange for the issue of a special postage stamp to commemorate the jubilee jamboree of the Boy Scout Movement to be held in Great Britain in June, 1957.

Dr. Hill: Yes. I propose to issue special stamps of the 2½d., 4d. and 1s. 3d. denominations to commemorate the event.

Full debate of 2nd August 1956 (vol 557 cc1761-9) is at:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1956/aug/02/postage-stamps-policy#S5CV0557P0_19560802_HOC_499

A Birmingham Z Colour Palette

MR Colours

"The standard Midland Railway colours for all structures from at least 1875 was chocolate and cream. Window frames and roof valences were cream and doors maroon, the iron work of the latter would be black. Internal roofs were cream as well as the the ironwork of roofs."

"Pratt's Depot"

In 1861, John Pratt occ. builder was aged 79 and living with daughter Mary Ann aged 35 on Blind Lane, Sutton Coldfield. Same year, there's another John Pratt occ. builder aged 37 and living with his uncle John Swift at Four Oaks.

This younger John Pratt is the son of the older John Pratt, and they are living together for 1841 and 1851. And again for 1871, when the older is "former builder" and the younger is "builder" and still unmarried.

By 1881, neither John Pratt is in Sutton Coldfield.

The older John Pratt (b. 1782) is the son of James & Elizabeth Pratt, and has brothers James 1773; William 1775; Thomas 1778 (who m. Sarah); Abraham 1788; Joseph 1791. Of these brothers, only Abraham is in Sutton Coldfield for the 1841 census and is working as a shoe maker.

It looks like the Pratt builders were the two John Pratt generations, and maybe the name "Pratt's Depot" continued beyond their lifetimes.

Sense of Place # 2

"Creating a sense of place for a new or reinvigorated development is something constantly strived after, and for good reasons. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment's (CABE) 2007 report, ‘A Sense Of Place’ states that people value well-designed places and they like homes in developments with character that create a sense of place, but signals that a high proportion of people living on new developments feel these developments lack just that. People want to live in or visit places that are unique, they want places that offer up surprises and possibilities.

One way of achieving this is finding ways to make connections between the past, present and future of a place in flux, to hold these often seemingly contradictory elements in tension, and by doing so to strengthen each. An area's physical, social, and cultural heritage, its ecology, and its future, offer rich seams which can be explored and embedded into the fabric and collective memory of a development. Projects which aim to do this can enable communities and developers to find and honour the uniqueness of a place. They help create – or we might prefer to see it as uncovering and articulating – a ‘sense of place’.

The fear and suspicion surrounding new developments is often the fear of the past being obliterated and a soulless development being plonked down in its place, the fear that developers will come in and treat a place as a blank canvas. Nowhere is a blank canvas, and the complexity and joy of living in a city is created by these layers of time, marked by different styles; the endless possibilities for discovering new things."
http://www.urbanwords.org.uk/aplaceforwords/sense-of-place.shtml