This chamber was founded on September 10, 1903, when 50 burghers gathered in Guildhall under the chairmanship of Sir William Shipley, Mayor of Windsor, and drafted and adopted the 30 rules for the Windsor and Eton Chamber of Commerce.

Among the names present were many that will be known as significant in the history of the commercial life of the town. Messrs Caley, Creak, Barnfield, Oxley, the then owner of the Express Series, Dyson, Luff, Osmond and Woods, to name but a few.

Companies whose names appeared on the first membership list of the Annual Report and still retain membership are Barclays Bank, The Castle Hotel, Lovegrove and Durant (now Lovegrove and Eliot), The White Hart Hotel (now Ye Harte and Garter), R Wood (now Woods of Windsor).

Our first honorary solicitor was Mr E Durant of Lovegrove and Durant, the position still occupied by a member of that partnership, Peter Simpson of Lovegrove and Eliot.

From the first president in 1903, Sir William Shipley, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor (no Maidenhead) 89, including 6 women, will have held the office with a number serving more than once, especially during the 1st and 2nd World Wars.

Of the 89 past presidents, Charles Butler is the most senior, having served on three occasions, 1954, 1964 and 1969. His father, also for two terms, 1934 and 1937, both from the local haberdashery store, Butler & Son.

The inaugural meeting of the Chamber was held in the Guildhall on September 17, 1903, chaired by Sir William Shipley, and attended by 67 notable burghers of the town who elected William as President, an office he served until 1907.

24 members were also elected to serve on the council at this meeting.

The first honorary secretary, Mr J. Arthur Brodie was elected at the next meeting on October 8, 1903.

The minutes of these meetings and all subsequent council (now Executive) meetings were recorded in the secretary's hand and are retained in five bound ledgers.

The finance likewise had written in several ledgers, both continued to be hand written util 1949.

In these 102 years of the Chamber there have been nine secretaries. Listed in chronological order, they are:
J. Arthur Brodie
Ernest Dymond
J. Arthur Brodie (second term)
J Watson
J Dempster
W A Raine
Cyril Carter
Jim Berry
Jon Morton-Bell

Many of the older members will remember Cyril Carter and just a few of his predecessors like W A Raine. A native of Windsor, Cyril served in the Windsor Borough Police and then after military service during the war, as Chief Constable of York City Police and upon retiring returned to Windsor and became Secretary of the Chamber.

Cyril Carter, O.B.E, Q.P.M was honoured by a plaque mounted on a prominent feature in Windsor which is passed by hundreds every day. Do you know where it is? Answer at the end of this article. Sorry. No prizes.

The nine gentlemen who have served this office over the 102 years of the Chamber gives them an average of 12 and a half years each term. Two secretaries died in service, J Watson (1937) and Cyril Carter (1991).

Reference to records of membership is maintained in the annual reports. These have been preserved over the years and copies, dating from the first report for the year ending September, 1904, until 1949, are in the possession of the secretary in handwritten bound ledgers.

Several names shown in the 1903 list are still appearing in 2006 and those in which businesses still have descendants of the original member or are still connected with the Chamber are: Caleys - although now part of the John Lewis Partnership, still (until July) retains the trading name and has provided members and Presidents over many years, former general manager, Mrs Frances Hickman, is a past President.

Daniel and Sons - through several generations from Mr James Daniel to the present member John Daniel, retain this direct connection with the Chamber.

SF. Oxley - who was President for the whole of World War 1 (1914-18) was principal of the Windsor Slough and Eton Express newspaper. The paper, now a series covering Maidenhead as well, is owned by Trinity Mirror, the UK's largest publisher, and is still a member with its Editor, Paul Thomas, immediate Past President from 2005.

Companies whose names appear in the list of members published in the first annual report are: Barclays Bank, The Castle Hotel, Lovegrove and Durant (now Lovegrove and Eliot), White Hart Hotel (now Ye Harte and Garter Hotel) and R wood, now known as Woods of Windsor.

The Ascot Chamber of Trade incorporated with Windsor and Eton in 1952 to form the Windsor, Eton, Ascot and District Chamber of Trade, which was again re-named the Windsor District Chamber of Commerce in February 1993.

Six presidents have come from Ascot since their incorporation and four from Eton.

Our earliest file records the problems that exercised the Executive of the day, it was that of pressing for a 3rd class season ticket on the railways and the interchange of return tickets between the two rail companies.

Cost of travel is still a source of our concern, but now, as that of on-street parking fees, the cost of business parking permits and the penalties than can be administered by our army of wardens.

It is only in recent years that many well established Windsor names, which appeared in the 1983 list, have disappeared. Luckily, where individuality remains it is concentrated mainly in Lower Peascod Street, St Leonard's Road and Ascot District.

The Plaque is on the base of the feature on the eastern side of Lower Peascod Street.

Thanks to immediate past secretary, Jim Berry for this information which first appeared in our centenary newsletter of 2003.