A LONG-LOST album chronicling the history of Archer Cowley, the Oxford removals firm, has been found after an appeal in Memory Lane.

The album went missing after the firm was sold to another company and the Archer family had given up hope of finding it.

But after our story about its loss (Memory Lane, June 20), former employee Sid McFarlane realised where it was – in the wardrobe at his home at Barton.

Philip Archer, great great nephew of the founder, James Archer, travelled from his home in Rutland to Oxford collect the album, which will now form an important part of the family archives.

After hearing of its discovery, he said: “That is amazing news, absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for achieving this incredible feat. It would never have happened if you had not published the story.”

The family had few mementos of the firm’s 112-year history in Oxford, and in desperation, Mr Archer last year asked the Oxford Mail to reproduce a page from a 1976 edition highlighting the firm’s long association with the city.

He said at the time: “This single page represents the only remnant of a wonderful graphic record of an Oxford firm that traded from 1857 to 1969.”

Using new technology, the Mail’s production assistant, Neil Braggins, was able to supply him with copies of the historic photographs that appeared on the page.

But now Mr Archer has been reunited with the family album, which includes many more pictures, of vehicles through the ages, buildings, staff, invoices and newspaper cuttings.

Mr McFarlane, of Handlo Place, Barton, worked for the firm in the latter years as a driver, porter and packer but also had an interest in photography.

He was asked by bosses at Cantay, the firm that bought Archer Cowley, to improve the quality of some of the old pictures in the album. He did some work on them, but nothing more was said and everything was forgotten.

He heard about the story of the missing album in Memory Lane from a friend and asked his wife Karan where it was. She knew immediately – on the top shelf of the wardrobe.

He delivered it to Newspaper House at Osney Mead for it to be returned to the Archer family.

Mr Archer and his wife Ruth collected it when they visited Oxford recently for a wedding.

Mr McFarlane said: “I’m glad to see the album go to its rightful home.”

As we recalled, the firm began with James Archer running a daily carrier’s service between Oxford, Abingdon and Radley collecting and delivering parcels in a two-wheeled horse-drawn cart.

Its first base was in Pembroke Street, off St Aldate’s, but after rapid expansion and the introduction of steam and petrol-driven vehicles, it moved to its familiar home in Park End Street.

When it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1957, goods were being packed and shipped to all parts of the world.

The Archer family is one of Oxford’s oldest – James Archer was the first to be recorded in 1518. At least 16 members have been Freemen of Oxford.