My  diary takes up the tale from here.

Diary of Bewdley Glass Plate Project

Visited Bewdley Museum Wednesday 25th March 2009. Saw the cupboard with all the boxes of glass slides. Asked if I could try to copy a few. Mr Purcell said he'd need to ask someone. He came back. "Yes. Take a box."

It took me ages to master the light levels, but the exitement was palpable. Each glass plate held a dark secret, waiting to surprise. And there could be 100's of surprises. I hope I don't tire of it. Will I get through them all? I'll need to get a plan of how to record them. Say give the box a letter and the contents numbers. Produce a template for presenting the pictures. Leave a blank area for descriptive details.

Friday 27th March

First box all now scanned. Fifty. A train at Kidderminster, the market, a horse and cart crossing the Severn, a water wheel on a mill. Some of the detail is amazing. Shops in Kidderminster, I guess around 1900. The names are quite clear. Remarkable. I feel as if I have stumbled on hidden treasure. Each piece tantalisingly concealed in negative form.

Scan, invert and there's a boatload on the Severn. Magnify and look at their clothes. Now a group of  railway employees on Kidderminster station platform.

See the uniforms. Then a couple  gardening, she in bonnet and full length flounced skirt

Tuesday 31st March

Rang museum. Spoke to Liz. Met her briefly before. I think she gave the  O.K. to Charles. And it's O.K. to take the box back on Wed. 1st , 10.30.

1st April

Took in box and record sheets. Liz and Charles both there. They seemed happy with what I had done, and let me take away a further four boxes. I raised again the 'Chambers Collection'  enigma. Charles wondered whether the box I had worked on might be a part, but it was only guesswork. So, with Charles's help, I selected four more of the same type of box to take away. Each was marked with a letter. I also picked out one smaller box. I will keep to this labelling system, except  I have already labelled the first box A. It was originally marked with a faded C. A can become C, the rest can stay the same.