Take one visitors book… The main reason for our trip to London last weekend was to attend the memorial service for my Great Aunt who passed away last month. The service was held in her local church in Hammersmith where she had been a member of the congregation for over 40 years. It was packed out with people who wanted to say their farewells.
It was such a beautiful tribute, filled with amazing music that reflected Liz’s own great musical talent. There was a full orchestra in attendance, put together by my Great Aunt herself many years ago and known as the ‘Liz band’ ever since. Friends and family members said wonderful, witty and touching things during the service and I was reminded just how much I love the feeling of laughter through tears.
As an executor of my Great Aunt’s will my Mum has had the daunting task of clearing her small one bedroom flat. Liz had lived there since the late 70s and I think it’s fair to say that she hadn’t thrown anything away since she moved in! The place was full to the brim with STUFF, both treasure and junk in equal measure.
My Great Aunt was a prolific journal writer and family archivist. All of the shelves in the flat were straining under the weight of her holiday journals, albums and the countless 5 year diaries that go back decades, each one filled with pages of her almost illegible script. My Mum found old newspapers, commemorative magazines, correspondence, drawings. There was so much I’m sure she couldn’t go through everything as carefully as she would have liked to.
She did uncover this unassuming and rather battered visitors book. It appears to have had many homes over the years but it started life 80 years ago in Reigate, Surrey. 
The book passed from one family member to another and journeyed between many different addresses before eventually settling at my Great Aunt’s flat in Hammersmith in the 1970s.
Liz’s section of the book is filled with poems, doodles and messages that prove how wonderful her hospitality was and how much her friends and family loved her and enjoyed visiting her home. I love this doodle especially…
Liz on her bike, with her beloved fiddle strapped to her back! The caption reads ‘For a born travelling musician Liz, you run a beautiful home’. Made me cry a little. An ardent Royalist, Liz never missed an opportunity to throw a good old fashioned street party. She’d have been up a ladder and hanging bunting come April 29th, let there be no doubt! I love this sketch documenting the celebration of a certain Royal Wedding that took place in 1981…
‘A brilliant street party for Prince Charles and Lady Diana’
‘A lovely supper and a look into the dark past of my future wife’
Note there is no exclamation mark at the end of his sentence. I wonder what Liz showed him! Dark past indeed! I spent ages pouring over the pages in this book on Saturday evening, picking out the handwriting I recognised and reading all the comments. Such a precious piece of family history.
As much as I adore the Internet and the wonder that is social networking I can’t help but worry that we’re loosing the art of writing things down. How will my children know their past? A facebook status or a tweet doesn’t last forever does it?
Does your family history excite you as much as mine does me? Any family love stories you care to share?
Loveaudrey xxx
What an absolutely wonderful collection to have, you are so lucky to have it. As I’ve got more and more interested in recording our family tree and history I would love to have found things like that. Make sure you store it carefully and keep it out of the light!
Must say I really like reading your blog 🙂
Linda (Laura’s nosey Mum!)
Oh! Such a lovely comment Linda, thank you! I remember Laura told me that you’re very interested in your family history. I think you’d get on with my Mum very well!
We’re very lucky as we seem to have been a real family of diarists and hoarders! My mother also has her Great Grandfather’s diaries (so my Great, Great Gradfather) which go back as far as 1899 I believe! He records so many family things( births, deaths etc) but also major historical events like the death of Queen Victoria! It’s amazing to read, although I’m terrified of touching them to be honest!
xxx
I’m so into family history – someday, when I have some time, and definitely before I leave Exeter, I need to start looking into mine, as my grandmother’s father was from Topsham. My favourite thing when I got to watch the football at ECFC is looking at the team photos on the walls on the way out to the stands – my great-grandfather was the cousin of Dick Pym, the great goalkeeping legend 🙂
That is so gorgeous! My sister phoned me the other day – she’d found a box full of letters I’d written her when I first left home. I was 19, she was 15. She read some of them to me, and I haven’t laughed so hard in ages. I was giving her all this big sisterly advice on all sorts. Thing is, now we’ve grown up, she is by far the most practical, capable and level headed person I know – I didn’t need to give her any advice! I think writing is so important, I always make a point of sending hand written Thank You’s for everthing – a text or an email just doesn’t cut it. And I insist that my children do too – I just hope they keep it up. x
This is so fabulous! What a great piece of family history!
Wow, what an absolutely fabulous thing to have! I would have said my Mum would LOVE to have something like this, but she’s already said it herself 😉
Treasure this, keep it safe. I always worry about the loss of the written word, I love letters/cards, but these days it is undeniably easier to tap out an email or Facebook post than sit and write a letter…
I think it’s evident with kids toys how times are changing too…there are little laptops and mobile phones!!!
xxx
What an amazing book! So many memories and stories.
I absolutely adored this post, how wonderful to be able to hold your family history in your hands. Thank you so much for sharing…a very thought-provoking point about Facebook & Twitter!
You’ve made me want to write in my diary again! {I haven’t since I was in my teens…but I would be soooo embarrassed if my future niece got her hands on it one day!} 😉 x
that is so amazing!!! what a wonderful heirloom. i’ve often wished i could have something like that (from a parent or grandparent). it’s like a time capsule. i’ve written many journals over the years & they’re all silly & the embarrassing type, but i’m going to hang onto them anyway. if only so my daughter can feel better about herself (knowing that she’s not as lame as her mom, hahaha). 🙂
What amazing items to have your hands on. I am really into my family history and I am sure that somewhere there are some invaluable sources of information somewhere in my family, just no-one seems to know it.
I love writing letters and I love nothing more than a written journal/diary/scrapbook.
xx
what an absolute treasure to possess,wonderful memories.
Lingerie Of Desire