Guest Blog Post - Laura

This week, Laura gives her view of the last few months:

'Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,We have had our summer evenings, now for the October eves!' (Humbert Wolfe)

So, summer is coming to an end and autumn is taking over, creating beautiful scenery for us to admire on our way into the office (armed with jumpers and scarves) but before I begin my final, scary, year at university, I wanted to take the time to reflect on what we have been doing over the summer, and what I have discovered so far. 

Since my first trip to Corsham on the 17^th April, I have not only learnt a lot about working at an Archive, but also about the history of Newton Park and its residents, from the Gore-Langton family, to the students who walk around the campus today.

This summer we have been busy, from completing our exhibition preparation to cataloguing each and every item in our office! In between these two jobs, we have been transcribing oral interviews, as well as going to a number of re-unions organised by the Alumni Association at the university. My first ever day at the office was spent cataloguing, and though over the summer we changed our method, it is still one of the most important tasks we do, as it ensures easy and straightforward access for future historians looking to find specific documents relating to their research. It has meant many hours sitting at a computer screen and describing and numbering each and every item we have, before placing them into special archival-standard storage boxes.

Cataloguing - so satisfying once its done!

As I joined the Archive in April most of the oral interviews we have had already been conducted, though I did have the opportunity to sit in on one of them, which was fascinating, to meet somebody and have them share their experiences of what it was like to come to the university over thirty years ago. Writing transcriptions are also interesting, especially if you were not at the actual interview, as you get to hear people’s stories and memories, however the actual transcriptions are extremely time consuming, as on average it takes seven hours to transcribe one hour of audio! However despite how time consuming they are, they are interesting, and it is an invaluable skill to gain, especially as it has increased my typing speed significantly!

July Reunion at Newton Park

July Reunion - meeting new friends, re-visiting old haunts

Having heard the memories of many individuals through listening to their oral interviews, it was a fantastic opportunity to join some of them at their re-unions in July. Whilst we were there Hayley, Kate and I were asked to talk about our experiences of being students at Bath Spa, which was great, as it meant we reflected on our time here, and realised what a lovely place this university is. I really enjoyed talking to the alumni, hearing their stories as well as telling my own! One particular memory that we learnt had been shared by many students of the university, despite their era, was sunbathing on the roof! Having overheard a lady talking about how she used to climb onto the roof of stable block to catch some rays, Hayley felt obliged to share with her that I, also, found my way onto a balcony area of my halls to catch some sun. Obviously some things never change!