A nuclear power station may not seem the most obvious subject for a postcard but take a quick look at any website selling cards and you'd be surprised at how many there are and they are reasonably collectable.
Chapelcross nuclear power station in Annan, the subject of this card was commissioned in 1955 and building was completed in 1959. It is the sister site of the still extant (as of December 2017) Sellafield in Cumbria.
The plant was designed with two functions in mind, the production of weapons grade plutonium for the military, and electricity production for the civilian market.
Looking at the history of the place, it does not make for pleasant reading. A partial meltdown in 1967 resulted in the reactor being closed for two years, there was also a fatal accident in c. 1978 for which they were fined £200 (equivalent to about £1400 in today's money) but trying to find any more information about that is proving impossible.
There were further incidents in the late 1990s and early 21st century such as the discovery of hairline cracks, fuel elements being dropped and workers being exposed to irradiated fuel elements.
Power production ended in 2004 but the iconic 300ft towers which can be seen in the postcard above, dated 7th May 1961, remained intact until almost exactly 46 years after the card was sent. They were destroyed in a controlled explosion lasting less than 10 seconds on 20th May 2007.
Thousands of spectators turned up to watch the event, and not surprisingly in the Internet age a webcam was installed so the destruction could be viewed on-line. The footage of the destruction can be found on YouTube. (just type in Chapelcross Demolition)
While many people can be heard clapping and cheering in the footage, the demolition of the towers was not without controversy with many people seeing them as a symbol of local heritage and a local landmark. Looking at the pictures below it is hard to disagree with that sentiment.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6673905.stm
