Guest Post – A brief visit to a market town by gmax

Thank you to Max for this interesting guest post. Yet another model from the past that stems from the golden years of Filofax history. 

Locations in the UK (and beyond) have long been a source of naming inspiration for Filofax models. In the 1980s we had the renowned Winchester of course, and up to around 1987 there was also Gloucester, as I’d described in a previous post.

It turns out that there’s another from that era, which has almost been lost in obscurity.

The only illustration I can offer is this artist’s impression, reproduced from a 1981 leaflet I once saw:

Like Winchester, this English market town is the home a well-known independent school. The model designation here is 5CL, and the interior is the same as the older-style (5CLF) Winchester models of the time. However, there is no fastener (“F”) or pen holder, so the external appearance would have been the same as a 6CL Gloucester.

Prior to 1980, under Norman & Hill, I suspect this style was designated K.199, and there were even earlier models in second-grade leather that were identified as N.99. Sadly, the Marlborough was discontinued in 1984, before Filofax sales really took off in large numbers.