December 9: The West Port, St Andrews, in the snow, 1882

The West Port, St Andrews, in the snow, 1882 (JV-2157X-B). A coloured postcard from the James Valentine Photographic Collection.

The West Port remains a prominent local landmark at the west end of South Street and is one of the few surviving examples of a city gate in Scotland. It was modelled on the Nether Bow of Edinburgh and the contract for its construction can be found in Special Collections, dated 18 May 1589.

Valentines of Dundee produced prints and then postcards of topographical views for the emerging tourist market from the 1860s until the 1960s. Coloured postcards were printed using three coloured and one black printing blocks to produce the desired colours.