| Date | 24 February 2006 |
|---|---|
| Source | Windsor & Eton Express |
| Reference | WN-0002 |
| Volume | WLHG in the News |
| Collection | WLHG in the News |
Transcript
‘Express source of history’ is restored
IMPORTANT first editions of the Express were in danger of being lost forever after slowly deteriorating for nearly 200 years.
But a touch of the royal treatment and a generous helping hand from Express owners Trinity Mirror and Windsor Local History Group have now saved the very first issues.
Richard Day, a retired royal bookbinder with more than 40 years’ experience at Windsor Castle under his belt, has worked his magic and brought new life to an old archive after the group paid £350 to have the vital file restored.
The volume holds the editions of the Windsor and Eton Express from its launch year, 1812, until 1814 and provides one of the most reliable sources of information and history on the town from the 19th century.
Express Editor, Paul Thomas, with the paper’s building services department, arranged new shelving for the archives within Windsor’s Guildhall to protect them after flooding affected around half a dozen bound editions two years ago. Mr Thomas then invited Windsor’s Local History Group to become involved in archiving and restoration.
Historian, Hester Davenport said: “The group got involved because we feel very strongly about our history and the Windsor Express has made such an important contribution since it was founded by Charles Knight.“
Mr Day – who followed in his father Ernest’s footsteps as a Windsor Castle bookbinder, also for 40-odd years – used Japanese tissue paper to replace missing sections on pages before hand-sewing the pages back together inside a red, leather-bound cover.
“I’ve taken something which was not usable and turned it into something which can now be handled. We have conserved the history for future generations of Windsor,” he said.
The group would now like to see one of the 20-odd other damaged volumes restored every six months.
Dr Brigitte Mitchell said she found the archives, which are stored in Windsor’s Guildhall, invaluable while working on her thesis on ‘problems in a garrison town, 1815-1845’ several years ago.
Another group member, Kathleen Whelan, said: “The Windsor Express really is an essential source of history. There is no way we would find that sort of detail in other sources because everything was recorded in the Windsor and Eton Express?“
The history group is made up of around 15 members who work for the preservation of Windsor’s local history. The group occasionally host exhibitions and held one during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.
Images
Curator's References
Where to find the Windsor & Eton Express Archive.
Sadly, we have lost several members pictured in 2006: