A VISITORS' book for Helensburgh signed by the Queen and Prince Philip, and by many others, over a spell of almost 30 years has been saved for the town.
The Helensburgh Town Council visitors' book from 1947 to 1975 was listed for sale at an auction house in Folkestone, Kent in May.
After Helensburgh Heritage Trust was alerted to the listing, the auction house was persuaded to withdraw the item – and the trust put up £500 to contribute to the cost of buying it.
The book was eventually bought by the Trust for £750 – and the organisation has now launched an appeal to raise the money needed to bridge the gap.
Taking up the story, Stewart Noble from the Heritage Trust said: "We managed to persuade the auction house to withdraw it from its sale and, as I was already planning to visit my daughter in Kent in June, I told them that I would like to come and see it and perhaps buy it.
The board of the Trust agreed in advance to contribute a maximum of £500 towards the purchase, but the suggested starting price at auction was £800.
"Mark Jennings of Chaucer Auctions told me that there was a lot of interest in the visitors book, and he expected that it would realise around £1,500 at auction.
"To my delight, however, he agreed to sell it to Helensburgh Heritage Trust for £750 – and so it is now back home in Helensburgh.
"Because it cost more than the maximum which Helensburgh Heritage Trust was prepared to pay for it, we are now launching an appeal for donations to help bridge the gap."
The question now is what the Trust might do with the book, with the most likely option being to exhibit it in the link corridor in the Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre, where a display cabinet already contains several items relating to Helensburgh Town Council.
"From time to time different pages could be displayed," Stewart continued, "along with some background of those who have signed the book.
"It could even be brought back into use again, as there are many blank pages."
The most prominent signatures are those of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, who visited the town on June 28, 1965.
But the book had also been signed by Princess Margaret five years earlier, and a photograph of that very signing is also contained in the book, as are the signatures of European royalty and that of future Prime Minister Anthony Eden in the early 1950s.
Other notable figures who signed the book include:
- The Right Reverend George MacLeod, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, in 1957
- James Scanlan, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, in 1967
- J. McLeod Williamson, a well-known figure in local affairs who was affectionately nicknamed 'Cloudy' - and whose public service, including a spell as Provost, is also commemorated in the book's recording of the presentation of a bench in Colquhoun Square
- The last Provost of Helensburgh, Norman Glen, whose role disappeared when Helensburgh Town Council was abolished under local government reforms in 1975
- Young Ian Smith, who declares himself to be "Grandson of Provost Glen".
To help the Heritage Trust meet the cost of this significant piece of Helensburgh memorabilia, you can send a cheque, made payable to the Helensburgh Heritage Trust, to Stewart Noble at 28 East Abercromby Street, Helensburgh G84 7SQ.
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