The weather in Whitley Bay was fine and she, Emily, was in good health.

Most unusually, the sender of the post card can be seen on the post card itself.

A note attached to the original picture places the date at about 1910 and identifies some of the people.

Fred Smith, from the nearby cocoa rooms and Steven George Watts stand at the left. In the doorway are Emily and Thomas Watts and against the railings are "Nan" Watts and her fiancé, Charles Stewart. Emily Anne is named as one of the children to their right but she is not identified exactly.

Watts' Café, or Watt's Refreshment Rooms as can be seen on the roof, was a landmark to tourists for over a century. Andrew Hodgson Watts was born at Cowpen in 1824, but appears to have begun his catering career in Clive Street, North Shields, in the 1850s, when he was running the Blyth House Inn.

He built Watts' Slope and its cafe in about 1865, and at some time during the 1870s he appears to have moved to Northumberland Square, Whitley Bay where he died in the 1880s.

He was followed in the management of the business by his widow, Mary Ann. She died in 1895 to be followed by their son, Edmund, and his wife Elizabeth Ann and later by their grandchildren.

A restaurant still stands on the site today but the building has changed.

If anyone has further information ask for Local Studies on (0191) 200 5424 or leave a message at any branch of the North Tyneside Libraries.