As the UK’s paper of record, The Times has had a ringside seat throughout history, chronicling for its readers events from around the world. Bringing this role to life is The Times Newseum: an exhibition of artefacts that show how the news was delivered from as far back as 1785. The Newseum is being unveiled as part of this year’s Cheltenham Literature Festival which starts on Friday, 4th October and runs until Sunday, 13th October.

‘Read all about it! The secrets behind the news since 1785’ features a number of curated exhibits which illustrate the difficulties involved in being the first to get the news onto the page, whether it’s censorship, technology or the need for secrecy. It is a definitive and differentiated showcase of archive content which includes the first edition, and charts journalism right up to the digital age.

Stories told include the use of carrier pigeons to fly back notes with information during the siege of Khartoum. The pigeons were captured by the Boers and a message was heliographed into Ladysmith saying: “Thank The Times correspondent for a basket of nice fat pigeons.”

Says Nick Mays, Times Archivist: “The Newseum highlights the extent to which our correspondents relied on ingenuity to overcome the many challenges they faced in reporting.

“As people will see when they visit the Newseum, The Times was the first newspaper to set up a network of foreign correspondents and was the first to send a war correspondent – William Howard Russell - to witness and report on a campaign at first hand as he did during the Crimean War. Then as now we were at the forefront of world-class journalism, although the challenges of reporting today rarely involve the need to hire donkeys - as we did when we published the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.”

Code often played an important role in getting the news back; it was used by The Times diplomatic editor Roger Boyes when reporting from Poland during martial law in 1982. He sent accounts back with travellers leaving the country, shortening words such as ‘Solidarity’ to an ‘S’, so that they wouldn’t catch the attention of border guides who may recognise the one word and destroy the reports.

Code was also used to protect the paper’s exclusive access to the first ascent of Everest with the list of words produced on cards which disguised the events written about and dispatched back.

Gaining exclusive access to stories was often a costly affair. Being the first newspaper to witness the opening of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1923 resulted in an expenses bill of £3,500, equivalent to £137,000 in today’s money. Other expenses claims include one from Kim Philby, a Times correspondent who was discovered to be a Soviet Spy. When he lost his belongings while coverings the retreat from Amiens in 1940 his claim for £100 and 16 shillings included a camelhair overcoat and pigskin gloves.

More recent events are also covered with exhibits relating to the Iraq War, 2003-2004, and photographs up to a Jack Hill image from Libya.

Times journalists Tom Coghlan, Deborah Haynes, Simon Pearson, Giles Whittell, Michael Binyon and archivist Nick Mays will add their voices to the exhibition; discussing how they have reported back from some of the world’s most dangerous places at an event on Saturday 5th (more information available at cheltenhamfestivals.com)

This is the eighth year that The Times has sponsored the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the first time that The Sunday Times has been involved. Over the fortnight a number of its columnists, writers and commentators will take centre stage. On the opening Friday, Sunday Times writer David Walsh will be discussing his 13-year battle to reveal the truth about Lance Armstrong, and closing the Festival on Sunday 13th, David Aaronovitch will be interviewing Economist Vicky Pryce about her book.

The Newseum will be at Cheltenham for a month located in the Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum, the intention is then to tour the content nationally and ultimately to roll out the concept as a way of celebrating different aspects of the Times’ unique contribution to British life.