It is a few years ago (2019) that I discovered the existence of the Filofax Westminster organisers. It only appears as far as I know in the
2001-2002 catalogue
It came as two combinations of A5+Slimline and Personal+Slimline.
Having discovered this unusual organiser I went on to try creating a modern day equivalent. I discovered that an A5 Holborn Zip would work with a Holborn Slimline.
It does give you a lot of possibilities and flexibility and as the catalogue suggests the main organiser can be used in the office, with the Slimline being perfect for carrying in your jacket pocket. The Personal + Slimline has the advantage of using the same paper size so you can easily swap pages between the two.
As I mentioned back in 2019, the only Westminsters I had seen sold on Ebay and similar sites were the main zip organiser, no mention was made of the Slimline in the adverts. Others reported seeing just the Slimline.
That was until last November when a Philofaxy reader advertised a Westminster Personal+Slimline, it was the first I had seen. As I was dedicated to using A5 this year I didn't immediately jump to buying it. But over six months passed and no one made an offer. After printing off my Personal size inserts for 2026 I thought hmm, I wonder!!
No it hadn't sold, we agreed a price and it was mine!
It is slightly taller than a normal Personal Zip, it needs to be to house the Slimline as well.
Unzipping it reveals a fairly simple interior
There are two full height vertical pockets, therefore you can slide in the Slimline on either side. Two pen loops and a set of 30mm rings.
By contrast the Slimline has small 11 mm rings, but it has a number of pockets to make up for the lack of pockets on the main organiser.
With my inserts put into both organisers there is a similar result to a Filofax Duplex, but with unequal size rings.
As I have been trying out different A5 organisers in my collection and then sharing a review/revisit post on the blog. I will no doubt be doing the same with Personal Size organisers, so no doubt the Westminster will see some action in future.
I might use the Holborn A5 and Holborn Slimline combination as we get close to the end of 2025 to allow for forthcoming appointments/tasks in 2025.
What questions or discussion points have you got for us today?
