September 11th 1905 annie to miss A Clarke
Godalming, surrey to Belgravia, london
46 miles
the message
"D. A.
thank you for the nice P.C. how good it is. makes me long to be their. I hope you are having a nice time but the weather here is dreadful. it was wet all day yesterday. this is a view from on of our windows
much love
Annie"
the sender
There are no clues to Annie's identity.
the recipient
The are no clues to Miss A Clarke's identity.
the places
Godalming, Surrey
Belgravia, London
Hindhead, Surrey
what the card says to us
The picture is entitled "view from "Undershaw" Hindhead". Hindhead is not far from Godalming in Surrey. Undershaw (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undershaw) is the former home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle), author of Sherlock Holmes. He owned the property in 1905. Judging from the absence of capital letters and the use of "their" instead of "there" it is safe to assume that Annie is not a member of the family and that she is a servant at the house. What her relationship is to Miss A Clarke can only be guessed especially as the message starts D. A. which gives nothing away.
The other remarkable thing about this card is the address it was sent to. Chester Square is in the heart of Belgravia and number 68 is one of many Grade II listed properties in the Square. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_Square) Many members of the ruling classes and celebrities are listed as notable past residents in the square. In the 1901 census, there are only servants living at number 68. None of them are called Clarke. In 1911, number 68 is occupied by the Honourable Constance Rhiannon Eliot nee Guest (1845-1916) the widow of Colonel the Honourable Charles George Cornwallis Eliot (1839-1901), a member of the aristocracy from Cornwall, his father having been the 3rd Earl of St Germans and he himself having held positions within Queen Victoria's household. Also living with Constance in 1911 are her daughter Evelyn and five servants (including a Between Maid) none of whom were called Clarke. In the 1901 census, the Eliot's were living in the equally desirable Onslow Gardens in South Kensington, again without a Miss Clarke. It has to be assumed that whoever was living at 68 Chester Square in 1905, they had a servant called Miss A Clarke about whom nothing is known except that someone called Annie sent them a postcard from Hindhead in 1905.
The card gives us a glimpse of life amongst the aristocracy and their domestic servants in 1905, but nothing more than that. And it tells us that the weather around September 11th 1905 was wet.