Julia Lee

Julia Lee  |  Mar 09, 2011  |  0 comments

Characters in Britain’s best-loved fantasy stories, from ancient myths to modern best-sellers, are brought together in the Magical Realms set, to be issued on March 8.

The eight stamps illustrate two different enchanters from each of four series of stories, using a combination of film images and newly-commissioned illustrations.

Depicted in artwork by Howard Swindell are characters from medieval Arthurian legend, and from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld comic fantasy series, the first of which was published in 1983.

Julia Lee  |  Feb 23, 2011  |  0 comments

Eight ultra-successful British musicals take centre stage on Royal Mail’s next set of stamps, to be released on February 24.

The illustrations used are based mostly on promotional posters for the shows, along with some photographs of performances.

All of them have enjoyed long runs in London’s West End theatre district, where several of them are still playing.

Julia Lee  |  Jan 12, 2011  |  0 comments

The Classic Locomotives of England miniature sheet, to be issued on February 1, is the first of a series of four highlighting the contribution made by steam engines to British industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Across the public railway network, and also in industrial locations such as factories, quarries and docks, locomotives of all shapes and sizes were the workhorses of the national economy until as recently as the 1960s, cared for by a vast army of drivers and firemen, engineers and mechanics.

Philip Parker of Royal Mail Stamps said: ‘For many people, the age of steam meant bright-liveried passenger locomotives, but in the background a huge number of other less glamorous steam machines were playing a massive role.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 02, 2010  |  0 comments

Gerry Anderson’s very popular 'supermarination' television programmes from the 1960s are saluted by Royal Mail’s first stamp issue of 2011, to be issued on January 11.

FAB: The Genius Of Gerry Anderson marks the 50th anniversary of six ground-breaking series, which began with Supercar in 1961.

Fittingly, the issue also features the first ‘moving’ pictures on British stamps, by virtue of lenticular images incorporated into a miniature sheet devoted to the best-loved show of all, Thunderbirds.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 02, 2010  |  0 comments

The Royal Mail issue for this year’s Europa theme, which is children’s books, honours one of Britain’s most popular pieces of literature for the young and young at heart, the Winnie-the-Pooh series by A A Milne.

Released on October 12, it comprises a total of 10 stamp designs, all reproducing E H Shepard’s original illustrations for Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), Now We Are Six (1927) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928).

The six sheet stamps show Pooh with one of his animal friends, while the four stamps in the miniature sheet focus on his relationship with Christopher Robin.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 02, 2010  |  0 comments

The Christmas stamps for 2010, to be released on November 2, feature ‘claymation’ duo Wallace & Gromit, stars of the Aardman Animations’ Oscar-winning films A Grand Day Out, A Close Shave and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Royal Mail’s design team worked closely with Nick Park, the creator of characters, and Aardman to create five exclusive scenes featuring the duo, for the set of seven self-adhesive stamps.

Park drew the scenes, and refined them to work to best effect in the two definitive formats, before each was constructed with models, props and background sets created especially for the issue.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 01, 2010  |  0 comments

Burma 1938 1r purple and blue, with the tail-feathers of a peacock embracing the head of King George VI The medium values had attractive pictorial designs Lower Burma had been progressively occupied by the British as part of India in 1826 and 1852, and in 1885 General Sir Harry Prendergast was dispatched with 10,000 troops to acquire Upper Burma and complete the conquest.

In what became known as the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the troublesome King Thibaw, who had hoped to reunify his country, was banished to serve out the rest of his days in exile.

At a stroke, Burma became the largest province in British India, and the use of Indian stamps was extended to the newly annexed territory.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 01, 2010  |  0 comments

The Ionian Islands’ only set of stamps, issued in 1859, comprised the undenominated (½d) orange, (1d) blue and (2d) carmine Today, the Ionian Islands are a magnet for tourism, inspired by films such as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.

But in the 19th century, this small archipelago off the west coast of Greece was thought of mainly as a strategic base for a naval fleet.

The islands had been passed from the Venetians to the French, to the Turks, to the Russians and back to the French again, before they were made a British protectorate in 1815.

Julia Lee  |  Nov 11, 2010  |  0 comments

Abraham Lincoln is considered one of the greatest ever Presidents of the United States.

His time in office was spent trying to abolish slavery, save the Union and reunite the country as the American Civil War raged, and his tragic fame was cemented by the fact that he was assassinated within days of the conflict being resolved.

His austere, bearded face remains instantly recognisable today, and the words of his Gettysburg Address are still quoted regularly.

Julia Lee  |  Nov 03, 2010  |  0 comments

The 1924 three-halfpence for the British Empire Exhibition Until the mid-1920s, the British postal authorities had consistently shunned the idea of commemoratives, an opinion shared by the 'philatelist king' George V, who branded the notion of special event stamps ‘un-English’.

Before 1924 the British Post Office had issued a few items of commemorative postal stationery, but never a commemorative stamp.


 The birth of the stamps
 In the early planning for the British Empire Exhibition, a strong case was made that the only special issue should be postal stationery.

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