RAIN did not stop play at the Hampshire Chronicle's annual open day - with scores of people taking up the invite for a look around the newsroom, including a man who lived in the building for 18 years.
The event, held on Friday, September 6, as part of Winchester's Heritage Open Days programme, saw scores of readers and history enthusiasts stop off at the newspaper's city centre office for a tour, chat and look around its newsroom.
The Hampshire Chronicle, one of the country's oldest newspapers, is produced by a team of journalists who work at its Grade-II listed building in Upper Brook Street. The newspaper is owned by Newsquest, one of the largest publishers of local newspapers in the country, which is in turn owned by Gannett.
The Winchester building has been part of newspaper operations, formerly the base of sister title the Daily Echo, for many decades, as one visitor knew only too well.
Giles Vodicka grew up living in the building as his dad Joe Vodicka was the news editor. He saw the open day advertised last year after it had happened and was gutted to have missed his chance to see his old home.
However, he waited for this year's heritage open days event to roll around and was delighted to see the Hampshire Chronicle taking part once again.
Giles, who is now 55 and lives in Badger Farm, said: "I remember what is now the conference room was the reporters' room and it used to be full of smoke, you couldn't even see your hand some days."
Giles' father Joe was one of the best-known Fleet Street veterans working on newspapers for five decades. He died aged 82 in 2005. He spent the last years of his working life on the Southern Evening Echo, running the Winchester office until his retirement in 1988, and living on the two floors above it with his family.
Giles said: "Being a news man, he was right on top of everything until the last minute. I can remember being in New York with him and him buying a paper to read about Gannett buying the newspaper group."
Giles' childhood bedroom on the third floor is now office space for Newsquest's digital advertising company LocaliQ, which is shared with Winchester Talking Newspaper, a charity that reads and records audio version of the newspaper every Friday, distributing memory sticks to more than 80 blind and partially sighted people across the city.
The talking newspaper also welcomed visitors to the open day, proudly showcasing their work.
Chairman John Richards said: "It was a wonderful day, we had about 30 people visiting and we have picked up four or five new volunteers and even some new listeners."
The Winchester Heritage Open Days annual festival is now in its ninth year and has seen hundreds of events take September 6 to 15, 2024 with the optional theme of 'Routes, Networks and Connections'.
Go to winchesterheritageopendays.org/ for a full list of events.
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