Welcome back to the Rothwell Preservation Trust’s weekly Post – keeping you up-to-date about the Trust and its buildings!

LAST IN THIS SERIES!

Today, we present the final Postcard in our short series based on a collection donated by the late Alistair Mackay. Alistair served as a Trustee for the Rothwell Preservation Trust from 2013 until his passing in May of this year. He was a well-loved figure around Rothwell and we will all miss his expertise in coins & timepieces, plus his extensive knowledge of the history of Rothwell.

Missed a previous Postcard?
Click on the images BELOW for more information

See our published collection so far, HERE.

Recently, Alistair donated a series of Postcards to us from his vast collection of Rothwell memorabilia. They all feature images of the Market House. Some are black and white, whilst others are in colour. 👍😀

In memory of our fellow Trustee and friend, we have presented each Postcard from his collection over the past few months and we hope they continue to bring back memories of Rothwell’s most recognisable building.👏👏

29 September 2025 – Our 13th (and final) Postcard from Alistair’s collection.

With the colder mornings now here, today, we present above a very ‘chilled-out’ image of the Market House! 🥶❄️🥶❄️. This one was sealed in a protective transparent sleeve to maintain its excellent condition. As things turned out, this one turned us all here at ‘RPT Towers’ into detectives!

The photograph on the front is undated, but shows it was taken by Rachael Nash, Rothwell, Northants.

The Postcard is unused on the back. The rear of the Postcard’s layout is simply a blank canvas and does not conform to the usual layout of a typical Postcard (Addressee/Stamp on the right and sender’s message on the left). We therefore didn’t have any further clues about its origins, with no serial numbers or anything that would make this one stand out. The only other clue we had is that the Postcard was printed by Andrew Joseph Printers in Kettering. This business is still operating and was established in 2001. Located in Kipling Road Kettering, we can therefore deduce that the photograph was printed sometime after that date. But is it safe to assume the picture was TAKEN around that time too? 🤔

Intrigued by the non-standard layout of the Postcard, we gently ‘unsealed’ it from its protective sleeve and realised it was folded in half and discovered…

IT WASN’T A POSTCARD AFTER ALL! 😮😮

It turned out to be a Christmas Card sent by our friends and colleagues at the Rowell Fair Society!

But what about the date? Looking at the text on the inside of the PostCard, we can see that ‘Proc’ Monday was June 16th. Therefore, Trinity Sunday was, as usual, the day before – June 15th. By looking at past dates for when this day occurred (and given that we know that the Card was printed after 2001) records show that Trinity Sunday occurred on June 15th in 2003, 2015 and this year, 2025. We know it wasn’t 2025 because it’s not Christmas yet! 😂😂, so it was now just a case of establishing when the Card was sent out during the Christmas period, the year before, in either 2002 or 2014 advertising the Rowell Fair Society’s activities the following year.

We made contact with Derek Sumpter (mentioned above inside the card) and he confirmed that the year was 2014. Thanks Derek! 👍

What do think of our logic?

See our published collection so far, HERE.

Do, contact us at info@RothwellPreservationTrust.org or leave a message in the comments, if you have any questions.

After 13 weeks of Postcards, we are bringing this short series to a close. Stay tuned for our next series on here and across social media that promise more information about our iconic Market House and further opportunities for you to help us play ‘armchair detectives’ again.

On behalf of the Rothwell Preservation Trust, we thank Alistair for his donation of this series of Postcards, and of course, his 10+ years of service as a Trustee.
RIP Alistair Mackay.

As many of you know, the Market House needs a major makeover. The roof is leaking and must be replaced soon – and the stonework needs a thorough clean! So why not help us to conserve Rothwell’s most recognisable building for future generations by making a donation – Thank you! – Our Fundraising Page is HERE.

#RothwellPreservationTrust #TheRPT #SaveOurMarketHouse