This letter was written by John Houblon to his sister Laetitia whilst he was away at school. It comes from the family archives of Welford Park, near Newbury, where The Great British Bake Off is filmed.

In the first part of the letter, 17-year-old John has drawn pictures. This is called rebus, from the Latin, where ‘things’ are used to represent words. It begins with the phrase ‘My Dear Sister’.

‘I find this an unusual and fun item with the rebus element, although it can also be infuriating as you can spend a lot of time trying to read it! I like to picture John bored at school on a Saturday thinking of ways to entertain himself and coming up with this.’

- Hannah Pomeroy, Archivist

Take a deeper look on YouTube at Hannah's favourite item, a letter by John Houblon, 1790, ref. D/EAHacc6061.19.

This double banjo box contains a grant of arms to Edward Loveden Loveden (c.1749-1822), which comes from the papers of the Loveden family of Buscot Park.

The leather double banjo box with gold tooling was made especially for the charter and seals within. The term banjo is believed to be a reference to the rectangular box, with the double skippets for the seals.

‘Its unusual shape piqued my curiosity when I walked past it one day in the strongroom. The vibrancy and flamboyance of the handmade lining paper hidden within the subtle cover is an unexpected joy. The care that has gone into making an object to hold another object. For me, it exemplifies both beauty and function.’

- Jane MacTarling, Preservation Assistant

This picture comes from a bundle of branch anniversary photographs.

The Berkshire Pageant was held in Windsor Great Park. In 1928, its theme was to represent an event from Berkshire’s past. The Burghfield WI decided to recreate the wedding of John of Gaunt to Blanche of Lancaster, which originally took place at Reading Abbey in 1359. The celebrant, the Bishop of Salisbury, is portrayed by then branch President, Ms Ames.

‘It has a fun and whimsical feeling and I think contrasts what you might expect from a Women’s Institute collection, or even an archive in general. I notice new details in it every time I look at it. The dedication to the costumes is fantastic, especially the moustaches, and you can tell just how much hard work and passion the women have put into making them. The extravagance of Ms Ames’ hat stands out, even in black and white.’

- James Mould, Archives Assistant

Take a deeper look on YouTube at James' favourite item, a photograph of the Burghfield Women's Institute, 1928, ref. D/EX2779/6/9/12.

This item was found amongst the Benyon family papers. It almost certainly came from India.

Richard Benyon I came from Essex but worked for the East India Company as a colonial administrator and merchant for around 30 years. This piece is presumed to be a souvenir that descended through the family to Englefield House. It displays a high level of craftmanship and skill by its anonymous designer.

‘It was one of the first items that I collected from the strongroom. I wonder who made it. I love the way that the colourful threads contrast with the silver wire, you can easily get lost in the details of this piece.’

- Amber Lindley, Archives Assistant

Take a deeper look on YouTube at Amber's favourite item, an example of silver wire embroidery, 18th century, ref. D/EBY/B11/1.

These two figurines, representing a lion and a man, were created from porridge by the artist Sydney Langford Jones (1888-1948) of Blewbury. Sydney worked in many mediums. Arguably his best-known work was the Coronation medal for George VI.

He was imprisoned as a conscientious objector to fighting in the First World War. Artistic materials were forbidden in prison, so Sydney found an ingenious way to express himself creatively. Using his talent as a sculptor, he turned porridge into small figurines which could be easily crushed if a prison guard were to appear unexpectedly. Incredibly, two of these delicate sculptures survived.

‘Sydney spent 17 months in Pentonville Prison. He knew that whiting, which was supplied to the inmates for cleaning pans, could be mixed with porridge and that it would dry hard into a smooth surface. At the core of each sculpture is a stick or rag which he covered with his whited porridge and shaped. I like that the figurines show how a strong creative instinct can prevail even in the most limiting situations.’

- Rosemary Everritt, Archivist

Take a deeper look on YouTube at Rosie's favourite item, two figurines made out of porridge, ref. D/EX1795/3/62.