The Southern Railway (created in 1923 as one of the ‘Big Four’ railways and nationalised in 1948) was mightily proud of their Docks estate at Southampton and they, and their pre-decessors the LSWR, invested heavily in the facilities following the purchase of the old Dock Company in 1892. In the inter-war years, when liner travel was probably at its peak, Southampton handled nearly 50% of the UK’s ocean going passenger traffic amd the amount of freight was also equally impressive. The Southern advertised the port, and the many improvements carried out in the 1930s, extensively. The cover shows both passenger liners and freight ships as well as early use of the Southern’s ‘Sunshine Lettering".

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