Esther Chilton

When I was growing up, going to London was a rare and special treat. So when Dad asked me if I’d like to go with him to see the sights and to The National Gallery, I jumped at the chance. Nearly forty years ago and I still remember it well. We had a lovely day together, admiring all the stunning city scenes and magnificent paintings.

Every child loves a look round the gift shop and I was no exception. Dad said I could choose something to take home. A bright red leather bookmark caught my eye. I was something of a bookworm and had only ever had cardboard bookmarks so a leather one was very special in my eyes. Little did I know then that I was about to embark on a lifelong hobby that would have me and my family scouring the gift shops the length and breadth of the country – all in the name of adding to my collection of leather bookmarks – a collection that now stands at over a thousand.

That first bookmark was red in colour, with the illustration and writing in gold. For many years while I was collecting, leather bookmarks were simply a single colour for the background and then gold for the rest. I collected bookmarks with backgrounds in all colours of the rainbow. Then, one day, when I was walking through my hometown of Newbury, I spotted a bookmark with several different colours making up the background. And that was just the start; soon after, I started coming across bookmarks which were bursting with colour – within the illustration. You can still buy the plainer ones of old and I have to admit that whilst I like the colour ones, there’s something special about the original style bookmarks.

It’s hard to pick a favourite. A lot of the bookmarks in my collection are of different parts of the country, others are from specific places. A few are generic – I have one with some beautiful garden birds on, another supports a charity and has its logo on, while I have one in the shape of a cat – but it’s the ones that bring back happy memories that are the most special – of holidays with the family, day trips with my mother and father, or time with friends. Whenever I look through my collection, I’m instantly taken back in time and feel myself reliving those joyful moments. 

One bookmark which does just that is from The Deep Sea Adventure exhibition, Weymouth, which I visited over twenty years ago. The exhibition itself told the story of various shipwrecks and adventures of the deep from the 17th century to the present. The bookmark is black and has the figure of an old style deep sea diver depicted on it in gold. I’ve always been fascinated by the sea and shipwrecks and I remember being enthralled the whole way round the exhibition. I was also able to dress up as a deep sea diver of old and so the picture on the bookmark always makes me smile.

When I first got my own house in my early twenties, money was tight and so holidays weren’t on the cards. That was when my mother and father asked me if I’d like to go on holiday with them to Wales. We stayed in the picturesque coastal town of Portmadog. The view of the mountains from the apartment’s balcony, and the whistle of the steam train nearby, was something to really wake up for. The bookmark I have from this time was bought at Gloddfa Ganol Slate mine. It was pouring with rain one day and so we decided to head inside the mine, a new experience for us all. I remember goose bumps spreading over my arms as we were taken on an underground tour and learned all about its history and the conditions the workers endured.   

Oxford is a well-known city, with numerous historic buildings, colleges and museums. I have several bookmarks depicting various aspects of the city, including the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest research libraries in Europe. I also have one which states that Oxford is the home of Inspector Morse. When I was in my late teens, I began a love affair with Colin Dexter’s books and read every single one of them. The television series, staring John Thaw, was also a favourite, so when I saw the bookmark, I knew I had to add it to my collection.

Another fictional character I fell in love with was Sherlock Holmes, having read some of my parents’ books by Arthur Conan Doyle when I was growing up. I’ll never forget being terrified by The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I still read it to the very end. On a weekend trip to London with a friend, we stopped off at The Sherlock Holmes Museum, 221b, Baker Street. It’s a fascinating place, a Georgian town house, made to appear as if it really was Sherlock’s home. He may be a fictional character, but walking round the house, I could well imagine him and Doctor Watson living there as tenants of Mrs Watson. A bookmark was a must.   

I was fortunate enough to go to the Terracotta Warriors Exhibition when it toured some years ago. The bookmark I bought as a souvenir has the image of a warrior on the front. Whenever I look at the bookmark, my breath is almost taken away again as I recall the magnificence of the warriors and my amazement as my gaze fell on a life-size terracotta horse.

My daughter is now nineteen, but when she was at school, during the school holidays, we’d always have a day out with my mother and father. Five years ago, we chose Blenheim Palace, the birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill. I can remember the feelings of awe I experienced when I first set eyes on the stunning building and grounds, including the lake and the Water Terrace. And when we walked round the house itself, my jaw dropped at the sight of the ornate furniture and tapestries. It was certainly a day to cherish so of course, a leather bookmark to commemorate the day was a formality. 

A more recent acquisition to my collection is a bookmark from the Isle of Wight. I’d always wanted to visit but never had. My partner has family there and wanted me to meet them so we took the ferry across the water and spent a few days on the island. The beaches were beautiful and a walk through Shanklin Chine was glorious, making me feel as if I was in a foreign land. But what I’ll always take away from my visit are memories of the enchanting model village at Godshill, with its trains pottering around the tracks and the sheer attention to detail. My bookmark depicts several scenes but also a part of the island I didn’t have the chance to visit – the infamous Needles so the bookmark acts as a reminder that I must go back one day.         

These are only a few of the bookmarks in my collection and the wonderful memories associated with them. I’m sure they’ll be many more.