There is every chance that the postcard you send home from your holiday in Abergavenny or York started life right here in Sussex. Because since 1902 Hastings has been the home of Judges, one of Britain’s leading publishers of quality picture postcards.
When Fred Judge arrived in Hastings at the turn of the century he could have had little idea of the worldwide impact he was to make on the business of postcard publishing. But Fred was a master with a camera and a natural entrepreneur.
In 1927 he built his factory on the site that we occupy to this day; and although the building has been developed and extended, the Italianate facade remains a famous landmark on the A259 coast road.
Fred Judge was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1872, where he started life as an engineer. Photography had always been his real interest and it was whilst visiting Sussex in 1902 that he made the decision to give up engineering for a career as a photographer.
He and his brother Thomas purchased an existing business at 21a Wellington Place, Hastings and here they set up as photographers and photographic dealers under the name of Judge’s Photo Stores.
Although the idea of sending an illustrated card through the post was not new (the first having appeared towards the end of the 19th Century) Fred Judge made his mark by setting himself extremely high artistic standards.
 |
One of his earliest successes was a photograph taken during a great electric storm in 1904, described by the following report in a local newspaper. “An extraordinary flash of lightning rent the heavens and lit up the gloomy surroundings … the picture shows a great streak of lightning from east to west dividing the filament in halves. The run on the postcards has been phenomenal and we advise all to secure a copy. It is worth treasuring.” Over 25,000 copies of “Lightning” were sold within the year, and it remained a best seller for more than a quarter of a century. |
| Two years later “Glory”, considered one of Fred Judge’s finest postcards, was published. This was a view of Hastings Old Town and Parish Church from the East Hill. What gave it its unique appeal was a sky filled with shafts of sunlight illuminating the Old Town and the distant prospect of the sea. “Glory” remained popular for many years with sales in the hundreds of thousands. Then one cold day in February 1950, a small procession climbed the East Hill in Hastings. It paused at a spot that overlooked the Old Town and there, to the cries of seagulls, ashes were scattered. Fred Judge had died at the age of 78 having built up an internationally respected company on his skills as a photographer and businessman. |  |
 |
The business was sold to another Judges photographer, Ernest Bartholomew, who invited Richard Lee and Robert Harrison to join him as directors. Under their ownership the company introduced lithographic colour printing and continued its expansion until their retirement. Then in 1984 Judges became a real family concern once again when Bernard and Jan Wolford took over. and following their subsequent retirement in the late 90′s, by their sons Graeme and Trevor. Further expansion took place in 2007 with the acquisition of Sampson Souvenirs, one of the country’s leading importers and producers of souvenirs to the tourist market. |
