Learning from the Landscape

I'm now in the second year of my PhD, focussing on the themes of citizenship and community during the early years of Newton Park Teacher Training College. My current task is a deep analysis of the archival documents relating to those founding years, under the leadership of Mary Dawson, the first Principal.

'It was recognised that this beautiful landscape must, of itself, educate the students' (Mary Dawson, 1946)
Picture: Kate James

Going through some of Miss Dawson's speeches, one theme repeats again and again. This is the idea that the historical environment of Newton Park was considered a learning resource in itself, in addition to the teaching the students received from their books, lecturers and school practices. 

The built environment and landscape of the park represents over a thousand years of English History. 

Mary Dawson wrote in 1954 that 'there is a sense in which the students are heirs of a rich culture with roots deep in time.' 

Ancient buildings - the stable at Newton Park today
Picture: Kate James

Newton Park gatehouse, where generations have passed to and fro
picture: Kate James

Miss Dawson, as a historian herself, became fascinated to discover as much of the history of Newton Park as she could, and she sought the help of Darlow and Molly Humphries. Professor Humphries, a governor of the college, taught at Bristol University and Molly was the college's own history lecturer. A file of papers accumulated by the Humphries is part of the archive collection, and demonstrates the research methods of the time. Back in the 1950s, each item of information was garnered through a painstaking series of letters or time-consuming visits with uncertain outcomes. Some of Professor Humphries correspondents were helpful, but many are guarded or protective of their sources. Some were even deliberately unhelpful.

Today we can look up digitised archive records instantly; so much has changed in the world of research. Newton Park has changed too, with new buildings and vastly more students, but at its heart it retains all the historical aspects so admired by Mary Dawson, Molly and Darlow Humphries

 Kate James