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