Search for a new home for historical ’Tiser archives
Royal Borough: Several hundred volumes of Advertiser and Express dating back to 1800s need storing
The search is on for a permanent home for historical archives of the Maidenhead Advertiser and the Slough and Windsor Express which date back to the 1800s.
Due to financial pressures caused by COVID-19, Baylis Media, which owns the paper, had to downsize its office leaving nowhere to store several hundred large volumes of newspapers.
The company decided to list them on eBay in an attempt to find someone interested in taking the archives after several attempts to find a new home for them were unsuccessful.
A listing was put on eBay starting at 99p and shortly after a bid came through for £1,000, which the company decided not to accept.
The listing brought a renewed interest to the archives and the company was contacted by Matthew Shaw who said he would be willing to store them temporarily so a permanent home can be found.
Jeremy Spooner, chief executive officer of Baylis Media, said: “It was never about money – it was about finding a home for the archives. In the end, putting them on eBay saved the day.”
The volumes were removed from eBay and the Express Series of newspapers have been rehomed by the Windsor Local History Group (WLHG). Mr Shaw, a volunteer at Maidenhead Heritage Centre, has collected the Advertiser series.
These volumes are all those which have already been digitised and are available to view with a subscription or can be accessed by local charities and educational organisations without charge.
Maidenhead Heritage Centre has been formally offered all 105 volumes of the Advertiser series, each containing a year’s worth of newspapers. However, it is possible the heritage centre will not be able to take them.
Mr Shaw is holding the volumes in the hope that a permanent home can be found for them, preferably local.
“You want to keep the integrity of this archive intact, and the best place is in Maidenhead, where people will value it,” said Mr Shaw.
There are still 100 more copies of the Express to digitise, with a view to rehome these in the future as well. Email Matthew Shaw with any space suggestions at: shawmat.sl6@gmail.com