| Date | 30 July 2010 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0102 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Looking back with Elias
A HISTORIAN who has spent his life studying the area will be imparting his knowledge and telling tales of towns forgotten in his weekly column for the Observer.
Elias Kupfermann has been fascinated about the history of Windsor, Maidenhead and Slough since the age of nine and has uncovered all sorts of fun-packed tales and historically important facts.
Now his thoughts and research are about to hit the shelves when his book Vanished Windsor is published in time for Christmas. The book covers the history of Windsor going back to medieval times.
He said: “Vanished Windsor is about the buildings and past traditions and community that are no longer happening, going back to 1445. I have a genuine interest in historical Windsor and Maidenhead.”
After nearly a year of painstaking research, the 45-year-old has traced pictures and images of Windsor from around the world, even getting exclusive access to the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle.
He added: “There have been a lot of changes in the town, for the worse in most cases. One of the ideas of my book was to capture the vibrancy and buildings that were once in Windsor as early as I can get back to. Lots of the images from the Royal Collection have never been seen before.”
Having been born in Woodstock, New York, he moved to Maidenhead when he was nine and has lived in the area ever since, moving to Slough 10 years ago. Now as trustee of the Slough Museum, he has an intimate knowledge of the area’s history.
In the coming weeks, Mr Kupfermann will be sharing some of the more fascinating pictures he has uncovered along with some interesting tales including the Witches of Windsor, the history of Caleys and the mystery of why a skeleton of a man, a dog, a musket and coins dating back to Elizabeth I were found in a bricked up room in the New Inn Hotel when it was demolished in 1930.
Mr Kupfermann will not be making any money from the sales of his book, with all the profits going towards building a full-scale museum in Windsor.
Photo caption: An image of Elias Kupfermann standing in front of bookshelves holding a book.
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