Thank you....

for finding this site - please scroll down through the posts. I have now moved this to

http://boringworldpostcards.blogspot.co.uk/ which gives me a better platform to show the cards off so please check this out too

thanks
Matt

yet more trains!

I apologise but I cannot resist these railway postcards. This is 'Damredub' A propelling loaded sand train out of Churchways Quarry in 1980 on Leighton Buzzard Railway.

I suppose it's one for the collector but as a postcard that you might send to someone - unlikely.

More Trains!

I know trains are always an easy target but there a target that I struggle to resist.

Here is one of the Maglev Transit system at Birmingham International Airport. Not surpsisingly it's unused.

More next time.

Civic Centre Swansea

I really need some new postcards - shall be looking out for some from now on. In the meantine I give you the Civic Centre, Swansea.

New Boring postcard page

Will the excitement never end? - I have just uploaded some postcards to my website and will continue to do so. Please have a look at http://matthew-harris.moonfruit.com and follow thw link to Boring Postcards. thank you.

Baldock

I thought I had already put this on my blog. Maybe I've missed it - either way it's worth repeating. This is a classic from Frith's of St Mary's Way Bladock - enjoy.

How to Source New Cards

With new supplies of cards a little thin on the ground, I joined a site called postcrossing.com in an attempt to source some new ones.

It's a nice idea for a site where cards travel all over the world and you request the style of card that you like to collect.

As always, the interpretation of 'boring' differed wildly between the individuals but this is probably my favourite card to date. It is, in case you hadn't realised, the vestibule of the metro station Vorobiovy Gory. I shall endeavour to get some more in - next update follows soon.

Hotels

I always find it odd that postcards of hotels can make for some of the best boring postcards. I give you this as an example.

Again, you may disagree with me that it's boring. I think it makes the hotel look like a prison. Maybe it was one...

Tesco at Dorchester

And it's been used! Sent in 1993 alerting someone to the fact that it was bargain day!

So What's Boring?

Looking down some of the comments, I can see I've stirred up a common question with this blog: Just what is boring?

Of course I'm not going to tell you what you should think and the term is a bit general. I suppose to sum it up, I feel that these are some of the most unlikely postcards you may wish to send. Sure the photo of the Mersey Tunnel is quite stunning but why would you send that as a postcard?

Anyway, I hope the blog's enjoyable whether you agree with some of the posts or not and please keep commenting. In the meantime I give you The Old Rectory, Crowhurst - New Wing.

More next week.

PS Bert if you're still reading - yes I would be very interested in some of your Russian postcards.

More Railway

I am delighted and also a little embarassed to find that, having neglected this blog for some time, I now have followers!

I am sincerely grateful. It is disheartening to think that you are just doing this with no-one reading and therefore you have inspired me to carry on so Thank You.

Please enjoy this card, the second in my railway collection, depicting the coming of the Docklands Light Railway. This shows the Construction of trackbed and station foundations in Devons Road, 3rd July 1985. I promise I will be back with an update next week.

Matt

Railways

Firstly my apologies for not blogging for a while. In my other role as a supposedly responsible single parent I find that school summer holidays tend to put all my other projects on hold.

So for now I will just post this card that I recently picked up depicting the Docklands Light Railway before it was constructed - this is a 'Derelict Elevated Route East of Limehouse 1983' Enjoy and I promise I'll be back again next week.

Howcroft Head Greetland

When I first started writing about Boring Postcards back in 1999, I had hoped that one day I might write a book about them.

Unbeknown to me, I had already been beaten to it by Martin Parr and his brilliant 'Boring Postcards' which was published by Phaidon shortly after I'd started my writing. I got to meet Martin shortly afterwards and this card, which he sent to me, is another of my favourites. It also appears in the book so do check it out if you haven't already got a copy.

Southend Pier Damage

Another odd card: This one depicts pier damage at Southend on Sea in the 1980's. Incredibly it's one of a 'collectors series'! I don't know how many there are but this is number 4. (I happen to have two by the way)

The series shows damag to to the pier caused by the tanker Kingsabbey. Luckily for us this one concentrates on the lifeboat station which was declared unsafe and had to be blown up. Hee the station can be seen both pre and post explosion - enjoy!

Dartmoor Prison

I'm not sure if this should be in the category Boring Postcards or Inappropriate Postcards. It's not necessarily boring - the building itself is dull - but the photo shows some pleasant countryside surrounding it, even if it does suggest that the photographer popped up from behind the wall for the split second that it took to get the photo, before scooting off in case he'd been spotted by the guards.

I find myself asking who would buy this card and also who would send it? Would it be sent from an inmate? How delighted would you be to receive it? It's certainly not going to come with the ultimate postcard cliche, 'Having a lovly time wish you were here.'

There is an unused 3p stamp on the reverse which I think would have been the cost of first class postage around the mid 1970's. However there is no message so we can only guess as to who had intended to send it.

The Control Tower London Airport

After last week's stab at making my own postcard, I'm delighted to return to the genuine article. Here then is the Control Tower at London Airport.

Nothing I can add here other than to urge you to bask in all it's boring glory.

I know it's cheating

This isn't really a postcard and I know I shouldn't put it here but I often wonder what would be the modern equivalent of a boring postcard.

This is a disused quarry near to where I live. I find it interesting in that it suddenly appears out of nowhere on what is otherwise a very pleasant country walk. If I were designing a boring postcard today I'd definitely consider this.

I may include some photos from time to time but not too many in case I upset the purists. Come back next week for a genuine boring card.

Mersey Tunnel

There's not much I can ass to this other than to ask, once again, the question why? Why would anyone publish this and why would anyone want to buy it?

Answers on a (boring) postcard please.

From Russia With Boredom

I can't remember how I got this. All I know is that it's from the former Soviet Union which has some classic boring postcards - it's just difficult to get hold of them.

I speak a little Russian but can only translate the words 'sea' and 'tourist'. It looks like it was published by the local tourist board!!!

I'll put another Soviet card on in the next couple of days.

A Eureka Moment

I thought I'd lost this. This is the first boring postcard I ever bought. Broxbourne Civic Hall in all its glory. Shame about the crease but I'm just relieved to have found it.

This is the card that started the collection and I have to say I've probably still to better it. After 20 years I don't think I've found a duller card. Anyway, I'm just happy to have it back!

While you're here please visit my Squidoo page at http://www.squidoo.com/boringpostcards and the Flickr boring postcards group http://www.flickr.com/groups/boringpostcards/pool/