Bonington's Papers Rescued From Shed

Sir Chris Bonington - a pivotal figure in British mountaineering and still going strong at 76.

Chris Bonington's lifetime mountaineering correspondence and personal papers have been saved from 'a shed at the bottom of his garden' by the Mountain Heritage Trust and are now catalogued and available to the public.

Helped by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the BMC, vounteers sorted through papers which 'documents, correspondence, press cutting scrapbooks and manuscript drafts' of Sir Chris’ books and the Bonington Collection - which sounds oddly like a limited edition of porcelain mountaineering figurines for your mantlepiece, but isn't - is now open to the public.

Sir Chris, still an active climber at the age of 76, as well being the Non Executive Chairman of Bergaus, is a pivotal figure in the history of mountaineering. Not only did he organise, lead and document many of the most significant Himalayan Expeditions of the 1970s and 80s, he was also one of the first climbers to effectively turn professional and make a living from his climbing exploits. Which is why his personal papers are so significant. 

The Bonington Collection is now open to the public and while we think the bulk of interest in it is going to come from historians of mountaineering, it's worth popping over the the Mountain Heritage Trust web site at www.mountain-heritage.org/news/bonington-collection-now-open/ for a quick flick through some excellent evocative images and press cuttings highlighting some of the contents of the collection.

If you're interested in seeing the collection for yourself, contact the Mountain Heritage Trust in Penrith via www.mountain-heritage.org.