Open Week at the Archive

Despite the cold weather we have had quite a few visitors in the Castle to have a look around the Archive and to look at the exhibition prepared by the students.

The Exhibition.

Our visitors yesterday were impressed by the work which has been carried out by the students over the last year and look forward to seeing the Archive grow. Two ladies who were former students also came to visit and brought with them some very useful memorabilia which we were able to scan. This included a student copy of the Village Survey which we haven't seen before. We also were given a copy of the Cooper and Tanner valuation dated 31st March, 1972 which related to the sale of 'Live and Dead Farming Stock, Hay, Straw, Seeds, Tillages and Acts of Husbandry' which were to be sold by the instructions of the City of Bath Education Committee. So folks, why did we sell off the animals? Answers on post card - or on the comments if you feel inclined!

Come and See!

Since moving back to Newton Park in June, we've been delighted to welcome a range of visitors to the Archive office in the Castle.

From current students having a wander around campus, to a local walking group stopping for a chat, it's always good to meet new faces. Current students can tell us about the student experience today, and in every group of women there is the chance that one of them trained here in the past. Such was the case recently, and those women were interested to see the new student accommodation, the 'Gardens', nearing completion. Its fascinating to hear the ways in which the student experience has stayed the same in some ways, yet changed out of all recognition in others. They may have different work patterns, expectations and burdens, yet they still report being awed by the landscape, woken by the cows and finding lifelong friends here.

Last week, we welcomed a large group of visitors into the office. The Holburne Museum Trustees had enjoyed a tree walk around the lake before dropping in to see the exhibition we're currently preparing, and having a strong interest in history, were most interested in finding out more about our beautiful setting and the university's history.

The Holburne Museum Trustees during their recent Archive visit. 

The Holburne is Bath Spa University's partner museum in Bath, and many of our students - from a wide range of courses - volunteer, work and carry out projects there. The university also hold our 'Centre for History & Culture' monthly lecture series there, in which notable historians and speakers deliver their recent research.

The Archive exhibition itself, now ready, will be open during the first week of November, from 10am until 3pm, Monday to Friday. Those already on campus can pop in any time, and visitors can come along to the office, on the ground floor of the Castle. You'll need to pick up a visitors parking permit at the Security Lodge on your way in, or better still, take any of the frequent buses from the centre of Bath. We're a short stroll up from the library bus stop.

BSU Archive exhibition - almost ready to open!

We hope to welcome you soon.

Kate

Another New Start, or, Goodbye to the Peacocks...

I write this in what will be our last week at the BSU Archive office at Corsham Court

We are moving!

Since beginning the development of the archive in January 2011, we have occupied the boot of a car or two, a garage, a walk-in cupboard and our current premises in the Stable block at Corsham Court. Although we've had a roving brief,

Bobby and I have always hankered after premises at Newton Park, and have eyed the ground floor room in the Castle jealously. 

This is because, when the teacher training College was founded in the late 1940s, the Castle building housed the first reference library. In fact the shelves are still there.

And next week, we move into the Castle! It's very exciting.

Sadly we cannot take a peacock or two with us. Personally I'll miss these extraordinary and wildly flamboyant birds. Their mating rituals are bizarre and highly entertaining and their behaviour has become part of our landscape. Their calls and screeches have been recorded in the background of recent oral history interviews though, so in a way, we are taking them with us...

New beginnings and distant horizons

Its been three and a half years since I became involved in the work of BSU Archive.

Back in January 2011 I started sorting through a pile of random documents on top of a filing cabinet, and a few days ago we moved a large collection of filed, boxed and catalogued documents, artefacts and images into a large office. Since the move back to the Castle at Newton Park, this new archive office looks very tidy and official by comparison to our humble starting point.

During the intervening time I have learned a great deal, not least the story of Newton Park and much that has happened here over the years. I've written a book, with Dr Roberta Anderson, which is due to be published in the autumn. I've delivered walking tours, lectures and conference papers, and look forward to exploring the story of Newton Park College through my PhD studies, which are now well under way.

I've also had the pleasure of mentoring students in the work of the archive, and witnessing their own development as they pass through their second and third years and on to graduation and beyond. My thanks to Rachel, Richard, Hayley, Adam, Laura, Alice and Carol, and recent newcomers Ashley, Tom, Rebekah and Jessica. All have helped to progress the work, but my particular thanks go to Richard, who brought his technical skills as well as his personal commitment and drive to the project. He has now completed his MA degree, and continues to act as an advisor when the technological going gets tough!

The work will continue, but the PhD brings further teaching responsibilities which I now look forward to embracing, after a gentle beginning this year.

I will continue to carry out my research in the archive office, of course, and so I'll still be around to see the next developments. Meanwhile, this blog will be written by the new student team.

I'll be in a little corner of the archive, trawling through books and documents as I write my PhD!

When 'Poldark' came to Corsham...

We had a fascinating time at the Archive office last week, with a grandstand view of the filming of a new BBC adaptation of 'Poldark'.

The roads just outside Corsham Court, namely Church Square, Church Street and the High Street, were transformed into an interpretation of 18th century Truro on market day. Horses, carriages, actors, extras, sheep, geese, produce, chickens, a Punch and Judy stall, technicians and camera operators all milled about the area while Corsham life carried on in between takes.

It was in interesting few days, not least because as historians, we know that the dramatic treatment of history is an area of intense debate. We could clearly see the attention to detail employed by the production team. They've been seen, considering buildings and shots in the vicinity for some time already, so obviously a lot of effort is expended. I personally hope that the end result is as engaging as the original version. 

During all the excitement, we welcomed a former student of Bath Domestic Science College to the office, for an oral history interview. We chatted happily about the 1975 version of 'Poldark' before and after the interview, and had to explain to Alice and Carol (aged 20) exactly what it was - and more crucially, what all the fuss was about. When told that the new Ross Poldark is being played by actor Aidan Turner, they began to understand...

And here are a few random photos of the filming for you to enjoy! 

Carriages and horses await

Church Street, with atmospheric gravel?

Corsham Post Office, still open for business but dressed as an 18th century Print Shop

Sheep, geese, extras and technicians

This dressed shop front was beautiful - The Silk Merchant - When England was 'the nation of shopkeepers'.

Corsham Town Hall

The view form the office - actors in tricorn hats and breeches enjoy a syrofoam cup of coffee

A Special Meeting

In the course of running the BSU Archive, we are lucky to meet a wide range of people who have been involved with parts of our institution over the years.

Often, meeting people and listening to their memories helps to complete the fragmented picture which archive work produces.

By their very nature, archive documents give a piecemeal impression of a time and a place. It can be difficult for historians to form a complete story from the fragments which remain of the past, but by listening to people, and spending time in the field of oral history, we can gain a much fuller picture.

Most recently, three of the team were thrilled to spend a morning with Anne and Bill, two people with much to tell us about life on Newton Park. 

Anne lived in the grounds of Newton Park College in the 1950s, when her father was head gardener. Bill was Mary Dawson's nephew, and he often visited his aunt during the time she was Principal here, spending school holidays enjoying the freedom of the grounds and the attentions of the students.

Bill and Anne, sitting together on the College hostel wall in Newton St Loe, 1950s

Bill and Anne became lifelong friends, and shared a love of the Newton Park surroundings which is evident to this day. 

Our current students, Carol and Hayley, had a great time, chatting and sharing experiences of their own time here. There was much to discover from one another, not least the ways that building use has changed, and the amount of development there has been over the years. Anne showed us the house she lived in with her parents, which is now the small office suite at one end of the Stable. She described her garden and the interior of the house to us, and reminisced about the places in the grounds and around the lake where she used to play. In those days, there were around 200 students, and the relatively small community were able to be much more familiar to one another than we can possibly be today. 

Bill, with the portrait of his Aunt

Bill enjoyed the chance to walk around the lake, and showing his wife the place that she had only ever heard about. She too was impressed that, despite new buildings, the landscape retains its beauty, especially near the lake and looking back towards Main House. This is a theme which comes up again and again when people revisit. (Bill's dog appreciated the walk around the lake too!)

Giddy moments in the archive!

At the archive office at Corsham Court, we are currently a team of four. Each person brings their own personality to the work, and its fun to see our characteristics on display. Today is a good example....

We have acquired a new set of shelving, which enables us to get a lot of the recently delivered material off the floor and properly arranged. A lot of this is awaiting the cataloguing process, but meanwhile, Hayley in particular wants an orderly arrangement! Nothing makes her happier than a properly arranged, uniform and neat shelf.

Meanwhile, Alice stands by, agreeing wholeheartedly with Hayley, as they jointly line up the handles on all the boxes, and check that all the number labels are aligned.

Lest you believe that we harbour acute OCD sufferers in the archive, remember that we are engaged in archive work, which of course means that this behaviour comes under the heading of 'key skills' and is entirely normal...(we hope!)

Kate and Carol then proceed with the opening the newly delivered trunk - the latest in a series of goodies being sent over by the Newton Park library. Every trunk-full is a surprise, and we've discovered all sorts of things. Today, Kate is rather overwhelmed at the sight of a pile of 100 year old samplers. They were sent from a former Domestic Science student to the College Principal in 1966, and date from her own student days in 1913 - 1916. She writes 'It was fifty years ago this July I sat for my Needlework Diploma, and now, both I and my samplers a Museum Piece!!!'

Samplers - drawn thread work, embroidery and scalloped edging, and an example of boning in a miniature bodice

This former student was sitting her final exam in July 1916 and meanwhile in France, the Battle of the Somme was just beginning. In England, people would have been anxiously reading the casualty lists for news of men at the Front. Just seeing the date evokes all these images...

In the same box, hidden in the folds of tissue paper, we find a bee. Carol particularly enjoys all these little surprises - the random finds and the added puzzles. The bee in the tissue paper; an old pencil in a wartime file; the marginalia and other added information, jotted onto the side of another document. These little things add even more layers to the story of the past; they are tiny pieces of the personal, the accidental and sometimes, the downright odd.

A 1960s bee. How did it get there?

Another trunk arrives from the library next week - I wonder what else we will find?

Woof - Be my Valentine!

Being a student brings many possibilities, not least of which is meeting new people, making new and friends, and perhaps a partner. The undergraduate experience is an intense one, and memories are still very strong many years later, as our oral history interviews can testify.

And so we have Valentine's day - the day of the year when we can celebrate, perhaps commiserate, but at the very least, consider love in its many forms.

Whereas today we seem to emphasise the love between people - partners, couples, or potential conquests perhaps, it seems that other times and other places have a different view.

Mary Dawson c 1940

Here at the archive we have a rather intriguing collection of Valentines which belonged to Miss Mary Dawson, the first Principal of Newton Park College (from its founding in 1946 until her retirement in 1968). Miss Dawson forms a major part of my own PhD research, and is an intriguing character. She was seen by many of her contemporaries as a visionary and inspiring leader, whose personal commitment to the college underpinned the development of an establishment which began in the era of postwar shortages and deprivations. She sowed the seeds of what would eventually grow into Bath Spa University.

Miss Dawson and Clover

Born at the beginning of the 20th century, Mary Dawson was one of those post First World War women who committed themselves to their work, and recognised herself as one of a particular generation who chose, by intention or by circumstances, to remain unmarried. In a speech given in the 1960s, she commented that demographic change meant that women like herself were becoming rarer, and that new options for women were making such a choice unnecessary. However for Miss Dawson and many women like her, choosing to pursue a career ran contrary to patterns of marriage, even if the men you knew had survived the war. Miss Dawson remembered many of her own friends and acquaintances who died. 

But Mary Dawson had another loving companion during her years at Newton Park, and that was Clover, her dog. Clover featured in the college photograph every year, nestled in amongst the students, and walked around the grounds of Newton Park with his mistress several times a day.

Clover was immortalised in art too, and in a scrapbook in the archive, we have a delightful collection of hand painted Valentine's cards, given to Miss Dawson, 'from Clover'. It seems that the students or staff made these cards, and they are obviously made with care and affection. 

Here are a selection from the 1950s

Happy Valentine's Day, to you and those you love!

Kate James

Timeless magic: the black and white photograph.

Recently at the Archive we have received two boxes of materials from the depths of the Bath Spa Library containing all manner of interesting documents, objects and images. This week's box provided us with a rich collection of beautiful black and white photographs which we have fallen in love with, and our favourites have been shared below. The photographs show Newton Park students looking effortlessly glamourous when taking part in sports activities, science and art classes and agricultural studies. This has led to a discussion here at the office about the cyclical nature of fashion and how a simple lack of colour can aid to creating an air of class.

As we are now a wholly female team, our conversations can often drift towards what clothes we've seen recently and almost always leads to one of us finding the item online to get the approval of the others. Whilst this used to be confined to lunchtime chit-chat, the introduction of more materials provides us with new and interesting photographs to look through, and it seems that now our conversations about clothes are inspired by a particularly nice jumper, skirt or pair of shoes that a student is wearing in the images we're studying. In light of this recent discovery, I believe that the time we spend each week comparing items online, planning outfits and reminiscing about how similar things were in fashion when we were children all count as historical research! 

Despite how similar our tastes may be with our 1950s' counterparts, one can't help but feel that when comparing photographs from my own university life with the ones we get to enjoy at the Archive, mine will appear much less glamourous. This could be due to the magic of the black and white photograph, or perhaps we live in a less glamourous time! Nevertheless, that we covet the A-line skirts and gingham dresses of our former students shows yet again that we are not so different from our past generations after all, an important lesson that we are reminded of each week when we come to the Archive and delve into our collective past. 

Racing on the lake: students enjoying the lake at Newton Park

Biology class: students taking measurements for tree shapes.

Art class: two students sketching the impressive Main House.

Agricultural studies: a student working in the walled garden.

Guest Blog by third year Historian, Hayley Crymble

Dances, Dates and Writing Home

As a new member of the Archive team here at Corsham Court, I was excited to see some more of the collection this week. I really enjoyed reading the letters of Vivianne Ollerearnshaw, who studied on the teacher training course at Newton Park from 1951- 53. Her interview and the letters which she kindly gave to the Archive cover her two years at the college, and provide a wonderful glimpse into life as a student at that time.

During her first year Vivianne lived on the top floor of No. 19 of the Royal Crescent, along with 8 other girls. They shared one big bathroom between them and ate in the large basement; 'our first meal was rabbit stew, which was gorgeous, and custard with banana in it which I shall never forget because we were rationed, we never had enough to eat at home.' In her second year Vivianne lived at Newton Park, in Main House. The had 'a huge breakfast, a huge dinner and a huge supper and tea' everyday in the East Wing, which today is a small cafe. I love the little openings into the details of her life as a student; among other things Vivianne writes to her parents about playing hockey and netball matches between Newton Park and The Elms (P.S. We've won the netball match!'), about going to see Wuthering Heights 'with Lawrence Olivier in' and also about holidays; 'For the Coronation we get not far off a week!'.

'Wuthering Heights will be at Bath next weekend, with Lawrence Olivier in. I've seen it once, but would love to see it again if time.' 

Many of her letters are signed with 'xxxx' and use shortenings such as 'if poss'. This is surprisingly similar to texts and informal emails today- my friends and I use them! In one of the letters, Vivianne is asking her parents for references. The language used seems quite abrupt, and as with the similarities to texts mentioned above, this reminded me that letters were the main form of communication (apart from the telephone', so in a way they did the job of what texts and emails do now. On the other hand, one of the main differences is that many were written over several days. The envelopes have very readable postmarks, unlike today, and the range of stamps is interesting.

Her handwriting is very twirly compared to how my generation were taught to write!

Another thing that surprised me is that the term 'going out' was also in use then. In Vivianne's time it often meant going to dances; she writes about the Weston in Bath ('a little dance place') and about a Valentine's Ball at Bristol University, whereas now 'dances' is clubbing! A little later she wrote about refusing to see 'a partner', meaning a male dancing partner, because she 'musn't go out this term'. I think this shows how some phrases have become outdated, while some are still very much in use amongst people my age. And now that 50s style is back in fashion, it makes me think that maybe some things about youth culture never really change!

By Alice Meigh, 2nd year student at Bath Spa University

Vintage Fashion

Well the first box of treasures from the library has arrived, and the task of unpacking and inspecting the contents has revealed some great stuff.

In archive terms, the first task is to carry out an inspection of any new materials we receive. This is done away from the rest of our resources, as we have to protect everything we have from any contamination from pollutants, creepy crawlies and so on. Fortunately, everything we had in this delivery was clean and dry. 

A-line skirts and curled hair - Students outside Main House, circa 1950

There is a terrific scrapbook of newspaper cuttings covering the late 1940s to the later 1960s, all about  Newton Park College, and a collection of cuttings from the same period featuring Bath College of Domestic Science. We have also been given two boxes of class photographs, some dating from the 1930s. 

Interspersed with all this are small bundles of photographs from the early days of Newton Park, which show students involved in the day to day tasks of a training college. The archive team have loved these, and particularly enjoyed seeing images of the early 1950s clothes. 

Fashions come and go, but young people's clothing choices usually reflect the newest and most contemporary trends. We've also noticed the fact that Newton Park College had an approved 'uniform', featuring a blazer, scarf and approved gym kit....but more about that another time! 

Elegance on the front lawn. Students at Newton Park, circa 1950

New Year Treats!

Well here we are, back in the office after the Christmas break, and we're busy preparing a space for a most exciting arrival.

Over at the Newton Park library, the head of Library Services, Alison Baud, has authorized the transfer of some of the archive materials stored there. These will be arriving over the next few weeks.
 We have seen some of this material, during a visit to the library store. The main section of this is in the basement of Main House, where items of 'lesser importance' are housed. Books, images or documents which are no longer in demand in the library system come here, as a staging post prior to removal or reassessment. A visit to the store really does feel like a journey to the depths as it's approached along corridors and through several doors (although it may have been anticipation, making the whole journey that exciting! There's nothing like an old store of books and ephemera to make an archivist's senses tingle...)

We have been promised a trunk full of archive materials, which we will empty, then return for another batch, so the next few weeks will give us plenty to do and lots to discover. I know that this collection features photographs from the early days of Newton Park College, circa 1946/7, a series of publicity images of the Domestic Science College, circa 1952, and some First World War food and propaganda posters and booklets. This much we've already seen. 

Keep reading this blog to find out what else we discover. Whatever it is, you can be sure that there will be interesting stories to tell...

Reviewing some of the items from the Library store