1950: Princess Elizabeth at Newton Park

Princess Elizabeth’s visit to Newton Park on 2nd March 1950 was highly anticipated and was widely broadcasted not just in local newspapers, but also national ones. One of the focuses of her visit was the iconic speech she gave, outlining the importance of education, gaining the perfect balance between working life and home life and the similarities to mothers and teachers.

A smiling Princess Elizabeth

With a young toddler to look after and pregnant with Princess Anne it is unsurprising that her speech drew emphasis on the world of motherhood. From her speech, it is apparent that Elizabeth herself would have been a very caring mother who clearly saw the importance of educating children, she compares the role of mother and the one of teaching as very similar; “we parents and you teachers are therefore colleagues in the great work of education.” Her emphasis on the role the parents play on the education of children would have rung true to some of the new student teachers as some of them would be mature students with children themselves who could perhaps see the parallels between teaching and parenthood.

The call for more teachers in the 1950’s came after the so called “baby boom” after the Second World War as well as the question of the compulsory schooling age being raised the UK found itself in a teacher shortage. By 1947 fifty five temporary teacher training colleges had been established,which were eventually mostly made permanent. By 1950 there still was not enough trained teachers to fulfil demand so further efforts were made to train more teachers, the opening of Newton Park by Princess Elizabeth would have been quite prolific. The speech she gave on that day sought to inspire and encourage young women into the world of teaching, she even refers to those who make teaching their profession as “satisfying the needs of the nation”, perhaps drawing on war-time like propaganda there.

Meeting the locals

The opening of Newton Park was a major stepping stone in Bath Spa University’s development and the speech given by Princess Elizabeth fifty five years ago has gone down in history. Her emphasis on the importance of education inspired women to enter the world of teaching and set Newton Park on its long and ongoing journey educating young minds.

Guest Post by Rebekah Driscoll, 2nd year History student 

Finding a Home for the Sydney Building

When thinking about constructing a new building for a site, whether it is a university or otherwise, an integral part of that planning process is to consider the question ‘where is it going to go?’. Generally, in the 21st century and particularly in Bath, this kind of enterprise comes with a host of practical concerns of the potential impact that such a building might have on the surroundings.

 Now, we all love our campus here at Newton Park for it’s great beauty and peaceful atmosphere; it’s sparsely built and seems to co-exist with the countryside around it. Much of what we appreciate today of the site is down to the famed 18th-century landscape gardener, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown who beautified the grounds for the Langton family who were living there at the time, in what we now know as the Main House. From dainty ornamental trees to the beloved lake, his mark has truly been left on the site, and it is him we have to thank for wonderful views such as these;

The view from in front of Main House (2015).

   It is truly a lovely view. So, you can imagine our bemusement in the archive when we came across two black and white photographs of this exact view here, largely unchanged. These photographs were dated from the 1950's, when Newton Park was home to Bath Teacher Training College, which opened in 1946. However, they had not been left as they were. In some kind of collage, a small drawing of what we would now know as the Sydney Building which is used for accommodation has been superimposed over it.

The view directly in front of Main House.

A view we will be familiar with today (1954).

   Disregarding the imposing presence of the prototype Sydney Building, the view seen in these edited photographs is one that is very familiar to us, even sixty years on. Particularly distinctive is the tree that can be seen in the foreground of both the modern and the 1950's photographs. 

   These two photographs were most likely dated from the year 1954 which is the year that the Sydney Building was constructed. Given some of the notes scrawled on the back of the two photographs, it is likely that these collages were an attempt to visualise how suitable the Sydney Building would be if it were to be placed in this location. What we do not know, however, is exactly who came up with the idea to place the building in such a location, and more importantly, what their motives were for doing so.

   These collages look remarkably similar to images that some building projects generate in the modern day to simulate how the end result of the ongoing project may look. Often, software such as Photoshop will be used in order to create a realistic looking image. Obviously, we know that this kind of opportunity was not available in the 1950's, however the level of detail that the artist has gone to in order to create a realistic image is striking, and gives us a good idea of how the building may have looked, had the decision been approved to place it there.

The Sydney Building (2015).

   Above is the Sydney Building as we now know it, and where it has been for the past sixty years. The location that was decided on allows the campus to retain the same stunning view that it has boasted since the 18th-century, and the serene vision of Lancelot Capability Brown continues to live on at Newton Park.

Woof - Be my Valentine!

Being a student brings many possibilities, not least of which is meeting new people, making new and friends, and perhaps a partner. The undergraduate experience is an intense one, and memories are still very strong many years later, as our oral history interviews can testify.

And so we have Valentine's day - the day of the year when we can celebrate, perhaps commiserate, but at the very least, consider love in its many forms.

Whereas today we seem to emphasise the love between people - partners, couples, or potential conquests perhaps, it seems that other times and other places have a different view.

Mary Dawson c 1940

Here at the archive we have a rather intriguing collection of Valentines which belonged to Miss Mary Dawson, the first Principal of Newton Park College (from its founding in 1946 until her retirement in 1968). Miss Dawson forms a major part of my own PhD research, and is an intriguing character. She was seen by many of her contemporaries as a visionary and inspiring leader, whose personal commitment to the college underpinned the development of an establishment which began in the era of postwar shortages and deprivations. She sowed the seeds of what would eventually grow into Bath Spa University.

Miss Dawson and Clover

Born at the beginning of the 20th century, Mary Dawson was one of those post First World War women who committed themselves to their work, and recognised herself as one of a particular generation who chose, by intention or by circumstances, to remain unmarried. In a speech given in the 1960s, she commented that demographic change meant that women like herself were becoming rarer, and that new options for women were making such a choice unnecessary. However for Miss Dawson and many women like her, choosing to pursue a career ran contrary to patterns of marriage, even if the men you knew had survived the war. Miss Dawson remembered many of her own friends and acquaintances who died. 

But Mary Dawson had another loving companion during her years at Newton Park, and that was Clover, her dog. Clover featured in the college photograph every year, nestled in amongst the students, and walked around the grounds of Newton Park with his mistress several times a day.

Clover was immortalised in art too, and in a scrapbook in the archive, we have a delightful collection of hand painted Valentine's cards, given to Miss Dawson, 'from Clover'. It seems that the students or staff made these cards, and they are obviously made with care and affection. 

Here are a selection from the 1950s

Happy Valentine's Day, to you and those you love!

Kate James