The 'Hippy Scene': Bath College of Domestic Science in the Seventies

While editing cover sheets for interviews in the Archive recently, I came across an interview that we did last year with Jane Hill. Jane studied at Bath College of Domestic Science in the early seventies, training to become a teacher of domestic science subjects. Her student accommodation was in Somerset Place; strangely to students of my generation they had a matron, who was very strict, and they had to 'smuggle' boys into their all-female flat! In contrast to what otherwise seems to have been a rather austere atmosphere- petrol was rationed at this time, for example, and foods such as pasta (which we think of as being basic) weren't readily available- all their meals were provided, and they were given sliced white bread and jam everyday. This was, in Jane's words, 'the height of luxury in those days!'

Somerset Place, Bath

Reading Jane’s interview again what comes through to me is the contrast of things that, too us, seem old fashioned- such as having a matron and ‘no boys allowed’ mottoes - alongside life-changing innovations such as the introduction of the pill, and the way that it was made widely available. Similarly, reading what Jane said about the fashions of the day really evoked the era of the early Seventies: she mentioned for example,unbleached calico, Laura Ashley floral prints, Scholl sandals, maxi dresses and long dyed hair, which she described as being “bright yellow” and “probably unwashed”.  Jane also mentioned her dad’s reaction to her clothes; “My father thought I was pregnant because I had this big smock over these loons…”. As often happens with oral history interviews, it was hearing someone talk about their personal experiences of nation-wide trends in this way that really brings the story alive:

Laura Ashley's early 1970s dresses, of the kind recalled by Jane. This image is from a recent retrospective exhibition by the Fashion Museum, held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath

" we were quite the Seventies hippy types....what happened was Laura Ashley, who I love still, opened her shop in Bath, which is still there, and she sold rolls of dress fabric material, and we used to go and buy this material, and knock something up in an afternoon... well because it was maxi dresses they were long dresses,flounces on the bottom a bit like Diana’s first wedding dress, that sort of thing, with the big puff sleeves - and they were a damn nuisance to be honest, because when you’re walking down one hill and up the other... we used to tuck them in our knickers..."

Guest Post by third year student Alice Meigh