Book shop appeal to reunite Bible and pictures with family

A Clarendon Square bookstore is hoping to reunite a 90-year-old Bible and a collection of photos, with its original owner’s family, and it is appealing to the Hyde community to help locate them.

The love-worn Bible, which was awarded to a Marian Heginbottom in 1929 by a Baptist Sunday School on Chapel Street in Hyde, ‘for regular attendance’, was donated to Get Books in the shopping centre by a removals company. The Bible also contains a selection of photographs and obituaries for the late Marian Taylor.

Get Books is a recycling scheme where shoppers are entitled to take a maximum of three donated books free of charge. Its store manager, Heather Chanin, has now made it her personal mission to reunite the Bible, and the sentimental items, with the family of its original owner.

Despite the numerous clues, she has so far been unsuccessful and is now appealing to the community to help track down Marian’s family. Heather explains: “The Bible is packed with photographs and newspaper clippings, so we can’t let it go to just anyone - we’d love to see it back with Marian’s family.

“From the details on the obituary, we know that she was the wife of a Fred Taylor, had a sister called Gladys and also had two sons Allen and John. She died in 2003 at the age of 84 and it’s believed that Marian and Fred lived on Farm Lane in Gee Cross at one point.

“We really hope that someone locally can identify the Taylor family so we can give them the Bible back, as we’re sure it’ll have sentimental value.”

Sophie Stephenson, centre manager at Clarendon Square, hopes the item can find its way home. “I’m really hopeful that someone in the Hyde community will know the family and be able to help Get Books reunite them with the items.

Sophie continued: “As a centre at the heart of the community, we’re hopeful that someone will know Allen or John Taylor, or a would-be detective can help track them down. It’s a fascinating story and a snapshot of life in Hyde from almost a century ago.”

Anyone with any information is urged to send a message via the Clarendon Square Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/ClarendonSquareShoppingCentre or to call Sophie Stephenson on 0161 367 9061.