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!