Precarious position for the photographer, wobbling about in rough northern seas in what may have been a small boat. Quite a risky job.

Bass Rock is an island of the coast of Scotland, according to Wikipedia now owned by one Sir Hew Fleetwood Hamilton-Dalrymple. Berwick is a pretty town in itself to visit for a holiday but it’s also on the main rail and road routes up to Scotland so this might have been a work trip or collected at the station in a break on the journey north.

Inland postage 1/2d – it’s 5/24ths of a new metric penny. Tiny amount of money. A mere 1d – where 12d is the maths equivalent of 5p today. Although why the ‘Foreign’ postage cost would increase if more than just the address was written, it’s hard to fathom. Perhaps a written-on postcard would be considered a cost effective alternative to the more expensive letter.

At today’s prices, 1d is either 7p or 22p depending on what measure is used for comparison. See here for calculations. Yes, a bargain.