Here we have a most unusual sight, a cannon ball used as a door knocker. However, it does not appear to be on the main gate to the castle, as the card twlls us it is "on an old wicket-gate at Chepstow Castle" -though it must be a string gate as it also says it is "an ancient cannonball suspended on two massive links" - and cannonballs are supremely heavy.
Chepstow Castle has rather a history of attack and repel, so such a militaristic thing is apt. It dates from the time of the Normans, and they left it only to conquer, all about, even Gwent, in South Wales.
It is in a grand location, atop a spur of rock, with high cliffs to one side and a deep ravine to the other - routes by which you would imagine there would be little chance of getting up and across to the castle. Though it was captured, during the English Civil War, and, afterwards, was used as a prison, including for the politician Henry Marten, who died there in 1680, and who is still supposed to wander there, to this day, in ghostly form.
I am sure I have used a card from this set before, but cannot track it down. Anyway as I work back through the newsletters I will find it, and one of them will be replaced.
The set first appears in our reference book to the issues of W.A. & A.C. Churchman, RB.10, published in 1948, as :
78. Mar.1928. INTERESTING DOOR KNOCKERS (titled series). Size 2 11/16" x 1 7/16" or 67 x 36 m/m. Numbered 1-25. Fronts printed by letterpress, 4-colour half-tone process. Backs in dark green, with descriptions. Printed by Mardon, Son & Hall.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index this is shortened, to just :
INTERESTING DOOR KNOCKERS. Sm. Nd. (25) ... C82-56
The only change to this in our updated version of that book is with the code, which now reads C504-530