Since it is only a few days until Christmas, I thought that I would share this short poem, which I feel deserves a wider audience ! It was originally composed some years ago by Kevin Matthias, the former County Archivist.
To clarify, for those of you who don't know the Denbighshire Record Office, I should explain that it is housed in the former (mostly Victorian) County Gaol.
THOUGHTS ON CLOSING TIME 24 DECEMBER
‘Twas Christmas Eve in the archives
The strain was beginning to show
The Customer Care Charter suspended
And four searchers refusing to go
Two of them chained to fiche readers
Another one hid in a cell
The fourth said he was from Australia
And he’d come here specially (like hell!)
The archivist who was on duty
Determined to make them all leave
Had tried all sorts of excuses
But had one last ace up his sleeve
He switched off the old prison’s heating
(an effect not uncommon I know)
And turned up the humidifiers -
Soon it was beginning to snow
They left in just a few minutes
Staff feasted on hot sausage rolls
Displaying the undoubted advantage
Of good environmental controls
best wishes for Christmas, and may 2012 be better than we all anticipate!
Jane
Jane Brunning
Prif Archifydd/Senior Archivist
Cyngor Sir Ddinbych/Denbighshire County Council
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