@thebritishreel: How did we text before SMS? A candle, twopence and a whole day. ✉️ Southwark, 1855: an old English superstition says a bright spark on the candle wick means a letter is coming. Martha's sister writes with no stamp, so Martha pays twopence at the door, double the penny post. Her daughter, who learned at a ragged school, writes the reply, and the tea shop takes it for the post. The rich don't wait: twenty words by telegraph inside London cost a shilling, the price of twelve letters. #HiddenHistory #VictorianLondon #BritishHistory #PennyPost #HistoryTok

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Tuesday 03 November 2026 18:05:08 GMT