UKC

Wainwright's meticulously handwritten walking guides (around 50 in all), published between 1955 and 1966, have sold nearly two million copies worldwide.

Cumbria Archives Service has been given the opportunity to purchase the Alfred Wainwright Papers, including correspondence, memoirs, original drawings, lithographs, slides and photographs.

This would allow the papers to remain in Cumbria and be accessible for research but they need the support of the public.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=51527

In reply to UKC News:

Great news if it goes ahead.

I'd have thought that "someone" might have put a bid in to archive them in his slate mine being as he lost out on his attempt to get a statue built there...
http://bit.ly/wainwright_statue

In reply to Duncan I:

Ha read about that, he never does give up does he? Mark Weir I believe. I heard he wants to relocate heaven to the Honister slate mines.

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: He saved the lives of 1000's of runners not long back!

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Hi Mick

Can we have more info on this, as I am unsure of what is going on.

Are the family trying to get a quick £200000 of lottery money for some old papers?

Who else is even interested in them?

The article makes it sound like they are about to leave the country with the papers. If so is it really worth £200000 of money that could go to a 'better' (my opinion) cause.

Just felt the news item lack enough depth.

Hope either you or sarah can help?

£200,000 seems an aweful lot for his working notes as such, but if the money was used to organise an annual Wainwright weekend with all the attached events, think ofthe renewed interest and all the money that could be raised, for the many charities he supported.
R Haythornthwaite

In reply to Mark Reeves:

Will email Peter Eyre.

Also of interest..

Bonington Archive Collection safeguarded thanks to Heritage Lottery Fund and British Mountaineering Council.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £39,600 and the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has provided £15,000 to enable the Mountain Heritage Trust (MHT) to preserve and allow access to the personal papers of Sir Chris Bonington, one of the first professional climber's in the UK.

This funding will enable the MHT Archivist to catalogue and make accessible this fascinating collection to the general public and interested researchers. The papers include expedition papers, correspondence, press cutting scrapbooks and manuscript drafts of Sir Chris' books which detail the unique nature and long term value surrounding his lifetime’s work as a mountaineer, journalist, photographer and, at times, diplomat and ambassador. Sir Chris' professional climbing career started with the first ascent of Annapurna II in 1960. There followed many outstanding successes which span the period from the waning of large national expeditions to the development of daring light weight styles.

The project will take one year to complete and will result in a collection open to all via an online display and a travelling exhibition.

Sir Chris Bonington said "I have kept all the correspondence, papers and diaries from all of my expeditions over the last 48 years in a shed at the bottom of my garden. There is a rich history of some of the major mountaineering expeditions of four decades hidden in these files. I'm delighted that these are now going to see the light of day; will be sorted and indexed by Maxine Willett, the very able archivist of the Mountain Heritage Trust and, most important of all, will be made available to the mountaineering community and anyone wanting to research this element of mountain history.

http://www.mountain-heritage.org/latest_news.php

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com: Hi Mick

I am aware of the £15000 to archive Bonningtons Papers etc... As far as I am aware he donated them to the MHT, that money was for the archiving, and having looked at the MHT website, they seem to have archived many seemingly historical valueless items.

Titanium Ice screw circa 1980's, Ski's circa 1980's, there is even a Karrimat and old nylon slings. There is in my opinion some fantastic waste of time and money gone into putting online some of the items that might be seen as rather mundane. Where are the scans of his notes, or any of the notes/papers the have from many great mountaineers?

http://www.mountain-heritage.org/item.php?ID=460
http://www.mountain-heritage.org/item.php?ID=448

The £15000 from the BMC started about a year ago, yet the transparency of the archiving and putting things online for all to access seems rather slow, although my memory of when it was awarded might be wrong. I would have thought it in the interest of the MHT to get some interesting papers online ASAP, to show some return for the BMC and HLF investment.

There is a major difference between the financial outlay for the archiving of Bonnington and others notes and £200000 to what seems like buying Wainwrights papers.

I have blogged on this subject, having visited the welsh museum, who have complete scans of books that are probably too delicate for us to read.

http://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirror/jts/JTS00001/1/index.html?lng=en

Wouldn't it be good to see Bonningtons and others papers like the link above.