More on researching the documents...

Last month, we marked one year at our Corsham Court archive office, and took the occasion to reflect on recent research discoveries with our two new members of the team.

Alice and Carol joined us in October, and in common with all new students, read through some of the documents to get the background of our history. With each passing month there is something to add to this story, since we're growing and building the archive materials all the time. Additionally, with each oral history interview, we discover more about these rich and fascinating aspects of life at our colleges.

Since Newton Park and the Domestic Science College parts of this story were women-only (Newton Park became a mixed college in the late 1950s) we often wonder about the gendered aspects of life in those days. Our third year student, Hayley, has become interested in the ways former students and staff responded to the women's movement through the years, and which issues reverberated during the 1960s, for example.

1960s women return to Newton Park, 2013

This research also touches themes in my own PhD studies, which look at the origins of Newton Park Teacher Training College in 1946 and the tenure of our first Principal, Mary Dawson. As a single career woman of the 20th century, she witnessed many of the great social changes of those often turbulent years; the deaths of childhood friends in the First World War, the era of expanding employment opportunities for women in the 1920s, the national focus on improved education throughout the 1930s and 1940s, and the birth of an educational ideal at Newton Park in 1946.

1940s students, with Mary Dawson (second row, fifth from the left)

Yet throughout all this, the question of gender equality is never specifically mentioned. This is tantalising in itself, but the reasons for this apparent 'silence' may be even more so. Did women feel that the hard work had been done in previous generations? Were people more accepting of the status quo? Did the issues fail to bother a generation accustomed to just 'getting on with it'?

Mary Dawson, 1928

The research continues, and as more information comes to light and more reading takes place to support it, these questions may yet be illuminated. In the meantime, our glimpses of this increasingly distant time are compelling and enlightening.     

Reunions, Reminiscence and Reflections

During the past few months, the BSU archive team have been fortunate enough to be part of several Alumni Reunion events, organised by Ruth Russell from the Alumni office at the university.

Groups of former students are welcomed back to Newton Park, and enjoy refreshments and a chance to be together once more, in the beautiful surroundings of the main reception rooms of Main House. Later, there's the chance for a walk around the grounds, with a guide from the archive or alumni teams to talk about some of the new developments on campus. 

Sharing stories with the class of 1963-66

The women of 1963-66

The archive team always put on a display of materials, documents and images from the relevant era, and talk to the group about their memories and experiences of life at college in former times. If we're lucky, new donations are made to the collection by the people who come back. Alternatively, those who bring their photographs and documents for us to see can have them scanned on the spot, which was the case at the most recent events last week.

We can also make arrangements for people to come back for oral history interviews at another time, or take down the details of contacts for the future.

Each time one of these meetings occurs, we learn something new; yet another layer of history to add to our ever-growing archive collection. On Saturday we heard for the first time, about the protest and sit-in of 1976, when students occupied main house to demonstrate against the shortage of jobs in the teaching sector. Emulating the photographs taken back then, three former students climbed onto the window ledge outside main house in an echo of that long hot summer of  the mid-70s, when flares were at their most extreme, and seemingly everyone had loads of long hair...

Pictures of the past - images from 1975-76. The student sit-in is featured, top centre

Recreating the student sit-in. (Class of 1973-77)

Its a great privilege to be at these events, and share experiences of the past in a setting we all appreciate. The majority of people we've met so far were trained as teachers, and I feel there is something quite distinctive about them. They have developed in others a love of learning, kindled sparks in children and young people, and made themselves heard, one way or another, in decades of education. They are interesting, thoughtful, intelligent and appreciative of the education they received. Of course these are generalisations, but here in the archive we have had many chances to discuss the people we've met, and these are the conclusions we've come to.

We hope to be able to be an intrinsic part of these reunions for a long time to come, and to be there to hear and share many more stories. 

Lunch, a chat and a DVD of old photographs, with the class of 1973-77

(all new photographs taken by Kate James)

'Some Cuts Don't Heal' : University Tuition Fees 1998-2010

Currently here at the Archive we are making our way through our documents, cataloguing and storing them in professional storage boxes. It's a lengthy process but its worth it as we get to have a look through what we have, talk about documents we'd maybe forgotten about and sometimes even discover something new. This is what happened last week. Whilst sorting through a collection of newspaper cuttings regarding Bath Spa University we stumbled upon two Bath Chronicle articles about the involvement of students in protests against the introduction of tuition fees of £1,000 in October 1998.

 

Student Rally at Newton Park, 1998

 The protest was in reaction to the Teaching and Higher Education Act of 1998, which introduced the system of student loans alongside the tuition fees for students replacing the need for local authorities to 'foot the bill' for educating students. 

Incensed students protested by way of a mass walk out from classes at 11:50, Friday 30th October, in which they congregated on the green in front of Main House for a rally. They also calculated that 650 first year students would have to raise £12.6m in order to pay for their three year degree courses. This figure was then written onto a giant cheque and presented alongside other fake cheques by protesting university students at a London rally organised by the National Union of Students. 

The angry claim 'it's got nothing to do with academic ability. It's all about how much money you have' could have fallen from the lips of any student at the 2010 protests at the removal of the £3,290 cap on tuition fees, but it was said by James Warren, a Bath Spa Irish and English Studies student at the height of the 1998 protest. It's a thought that has been shared by thousands of students since, a reminder that we're not all that different to our predecessors after all. 

 

Students protest in London, 2010

Guest Blog Post - Adam

"In much of society, research means to investigate something you do not know or understand." Neil Armstrong

In this blog I will be talking about research and its possible links to the Archive.

Research is very useful for an Archive as it helps to expand the material you already have, can help to open new lines of enquiry and often provides answers for questions that come up whilst looking at the material in the Archive. It is also useful for the Archive as it can allow you to locate material that can be found in other archives in the area. As a student studying History, it is a very important and necessary skill that can help in Third Year when undertaking a dissertation, which heavily depends on research to be successful.

Map of the Atlantic Slave Trade

I am undertaking a dissertation based upon the Atlantic Slave Trade or simply ‘The Trade’ and Saltford Brass Mill which will focus on how Bristol, Saltford in particular, benefited from the brass trade and the Slave Trade. It will also look at the connection between brass and slavery to shed light on the little known story of the first part of the Triangular Trade. The Coster family owned the Saltford Brass Mill and also co-owned 6 slave ships and form the basis for the dissertation. As a result of owning the brass mill and co-owning slave ships, the Coster family were making money from the trading of goods to the African tribes, transporting of slaves from Africa to America and the shipping of raw materials from America back to Bristol.

    

The Coster family was not the only family involved in the Slave Trade. Another family involved was the Champion family, owners of the Warmley Brass Works, and were known to be involved in the Slave Trade. It was William Champion (1709-1789) who led the Warmley Brass Works into bankruptcy in 1769.    

Thomas Coster (1684-1739), owner of Saltford Brass Mill

The Merchant Venturers evolved from a Guild of Merchants which existed in the 1200s. They managed Bristol’s harbour from the 16^th Century until the early 19^th Century. During the 18^th Century, the Merchant Venturers became involved with shipping of manufactured goods to Africa and sugar, molasses and rum from America to Bristol.

Merchant Venturers Coat of Arms

The Merchant Venturers owned many of the docks in Bristol and so must have made money from the ships that took the goods to Africa. 

We have read that the Langton family of Newton Park had connections to a shipping business on the ‘Welsh Back’ in Bristol and that it created the wealth the family had. The 'Welsh Back' was where trade with Wales took place, as goods from, and for, South Wales were loaded and unloaded onto sailing barges. As the map below shows, the 'Welsh Back' is near Queen Square (built between 1700 and 1718) where some of the house were built by people linked to the Slave Trade. Could the 'Welsh Back' have been used for the shipping of slaves to Wales or the shipping of brassware to Bristol for the buying of slaves in Africa?

Map of Welsh Back, Bristol Docks

With the house at Newton Park being built in 1761 by Joseph Langton, whose brother Thomas was a Mayor of Bristol and a Merchant Venturer, could it be argued that the Langtons were involved in the Trade? Where did their wealth come from? Did the Langtons still possess a shipping business on the 'Welsh Back' during the height of the Slave Trade? Did the Langtons have any contact or dealings with the Coster or Champion families? What were the Langtons shipping to and from South Wales? Were the Gore-Langtons supporters of the abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807? Were the Gore-Langtons supporters of the abolition of slavery in 1833?

By continuing with this dissertation I hope to be able to have light shed on these questions and hope to be able to provide help to the Archives. Answering these questions can lead to more material being added to the Archives and can lead to other paths of research as a result. Without research an archive will not develop and will not gain any new information besides what may be donated or left to them.   

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!

The Great British Bake Off is back?

Later tonight, the third episode of the new series of 'The Great British Bake Off' will be screened.

Readers and followers of this blog will recall a mention of this programme, and particularly one of its main attractions - our former student, Mary Berry.

Mary attended Bath College of Domestic Science, and it happens that we've been cataloguing some of the college's early papers here over the past few weeks.

The college began in Bath in 1892, and its first head was Miss Lawrie. The handwritten copy of her own recipe book (Receipt Book) makes fascinating reading, although the assorted 19th century handwriting can be a challenge. Two further copies were made of her book, as presentation volumes, on her retirement in 1907. These are less tricky to read, although the inks are fading.

The recipes cover all meals, occasions, budgets and requirements. How about these two:

'For Bronchitis

1 desertsp. of Glycerine

1 desertsp. of Brandy

well mixed together, take every four hours'

'Suet Plaister

Melt some fresh suet at the fire, spread it on a piece of strong brown paper, and put it on the chest. This is good in cases of bronchitis, or any cold on the chest.'

Miss Lawrie's book of Receipts (later altered to 'Recipes')

A recipe for Cold Cabinet Pudding

Anyone heard of 'Eloise Pudding'?

One of the recipes, typed out in 1907. 'Sudden Death' for dinner?

Last week at the archive...

One thing we could say about the archive work, it's varied. Last Monday saw us putting the finishing touches to our exhibition. On Tuesday we discovered some wonderful old papers. On Wednesday, we finally began Phase 2 cataloguing. Thursday, the 1st day of August, was a catch-up day, and next week we'll be back to the cataloguing.

Working on the exhibition images

On a normal catch up day I'll be picking up a few of the 'dropped plates' from the archive - those tasks which need to be done to keep things ticking over but which sometimes get sidelined. Last week it was oral history interview proof reading, chasing up some almost overdue transcriptions, replying to blog comments and emails, and some supplementary research.

Wonderful old documents to discover!

Phase 2 cataloguing

The research is for a conference in September, hosted by the Centre for History and Culture at the university, and taking place in the centre of Bath. Some of the PhD students will be giving a 'Poster Presentation' of their work, and my offering is about the 18th century development of Newton Park. During my research stint last week, I found a few snippets from newspapers of the time, describing the building work of 1761 and 1762.

November 1762

January 1762

Last week's blogpost was about Graduations, and yet again, a couple of comments from alumni have set us off on a new trail of information. We now have added details about other graduation ceremonies, to add to the archive. Thanks for the comments!

During the past year or so, I've also been involved, along with Dr Roberta Anderson, in the writing of a book about our institutional history, and this is now going through the editing and proof reading stage. It was fascinating to write, and even more fun to source all the images. This task was a reminder of just how rich and varied our story is, and what a lot of great images we have here in the archive. Much of this material is what we've collected or been given in the last year, since the archive started to take off, and its tempting to wonder how much more we''ll have by this time next year, or in a few year's time.

Keep it coming, everyone. We'd love to hear your stories too!

TTFN

Kate

Graduations

Last week, two members of the archive team graduated, amidst the splendour and joy that is the Bath Spa University Graduation Ceremonies. In a change from the usual venue of Newton Park, this year's event took place in the heart of the city, at Bath Abbey.

Over the years, a variety of settings have been used, each one being ideal for a time, before expediencies of organisation dictated a change. In the early days, there was no formal 'graduation' as such, but a summer event marking the culmination of studies took place in the grounds and buildings at Newton Park. This 'Commemoration Day' saw large scale drama productions (including a full medieval pageant on one or two occasions) as well as family picnics and displays of work.

Historic pageant for Commemoration Day, June 1963

Commemoration Day dance display by students, c.1950.

In the 1980s, the Assembly Rooms in Bath were used for the event, but the growing number of students soon meant that the space was too small. The solution then was the huge marquee, on the lawn in front of Main House, which is where I first graduated (with the BA in History) in the Summer of 2011. 

The marquee itself is vast, and accommodates a large stage, with steps at either side. Nerves, high heels or a combination of the two can make these steps seem like a mountain. The fashion for ever-higher heels has presented an even greater challenge in recent years, too.

Graduation at Newton Park, July 2011

Students take their places at one end of the marquee, July 2011

The backdrop of Newton Park makes these graduation ceremonies very memorable. Registration takes place in the Library, gowns are donned in the University Theatre, and family and friends can congregate around the refectory at Moreton (formerly the assembly hall) 

Last Saturday, Bath Spa students, staff and families seemed to be everywhere in the centre of Bath. The Guildhall was a hive of activity for registration, gowning and official photographs. Downstairs, the Alumni Association were busy taking photographs to use in the alumni magazine. Students posed with a huge 'golden scroll', which was great fun. These pictures can be viewed through the Alumni Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BathSpaUniversityAlumni?fref=ts

The Academic Procession, ready to enter Bath Abbey for the second (of eight) ceremonies on 19th and 20th July 2013

Jubilation from some of this year's graduating Master's students and their tutor.

Walking over to the Abbey, capped and gowned certainly caused a stir. It was a lovely atmosphere, amongst the crowds in the Abbey Churchyard, and we raised the profile of the university as all sorts of people took photographs and watched everyone in their ceremonial glory. Some tourists asked to pose with groups of graduates! It was a joyous occasion all round. 

Plans for Summer

For most parts of the university, life becomes rather different over the summer, and this is reflected in the activities of the BSU Archive office, too.

Most of the undergraduate students have now left for the vacation, and a proportion of these will attend their graduation ceremonies later this month. 

Postgraduate students are still in evidence, as their academic year usually lasts from September to September, but these are far fewer in number and a little more difficult to spot anyway, being always so studious and with their noses so firmly to the grindstone!

The archive work during this 'quiet time' is supplemented by attendance at College Reunions, organised by the Alumni Association, and taking place much more frequently now that the alumni office has grown over the past months. There are three such reunions taking place in the next few weeks. The archive team will be there to meet groups of former students, and we arrange displays of archive materials to show them. More news of these events will follow in future blogs.

Former student Christine, contemplates the Newton Park scenery July 2013

Summer is also a time for rest, recuperation and research, and some of the team, moving from the second to the third year of study here, will be hard at work with dissertation research. This is the case for Adam, Hayley and Laura. Richard is preparing for his MA postgraduate studies which begin in September, and Kate has officially been a PhD student since 1st July. Research is continuing in earnest!

Over the summer months, Corsham Court continues to be gently buzzing with postgraduate activity, but Newton Park, now almost empty of student activity, returns to its grand, peaceful splendour as a country estate. Its at this time that one's imagination can drift to former ages and times, and picture a life here before college habits took over. I recall interviewing a former student, now almost 90, who came to visit on a September Sunday morning; we sat on a bench outside Main House, and she told me wistfully that it was 'Just the same. Just the same...' 

Two sets of people here are still extremely busy at this time, of course. These are the teams involved with the Graduations, and with Admissions. Both groups are even now, bracing themselves for the challenges ahead. This year's graduations take place on 19th and 20th July at Bath Abbey. 

The Admissions team swing into their busiest period of activity in mid August, when they will be on hand during many long working days, to receive, placate, reassure and welcome another cohort of students. Another set of memories is about to begin at Bath Spa University.

Buildings Old and New

Recently, we took advantage of an opportunity to view the newest building on the Newton Park campus, and took the 'Work So Far' tour offered to students and staff. This new academic building has been under construction since 2011, and will be opened in 2014.

From an archivist's point of view, it was fascinating to see the latest expression of academic life which has taken shape on this spot. Richard and I have worked on the archive together since the building work began, and have researched and learned the history of this site as the university landscape alters in front of our eyes. There have been many things on this spot over the years, and many people have come and gone...

The Newton Park site is an ancient one, and remains from over 2000 years ago have been found here. Fragments of Roman floor tiles, discovered during post-war renovation of the Castle building, now reside in the vaults beneath the Roman Baths, where the county archive stores are located. Down there in the tunnels, they lie amidst the stones, carvings and ephemera of centuries-worth of Bath history. (By the way, you can go on tours down there - and they're free to local residents with a free Discovery Card - well worth going! For more details, see the website http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/whats_on/events/events_calendar/tunnel_tours_and_store_tours.aspx

The Newton Park estate was granted to the Bishop of St Lo (hence 'Newton St Loe') one of William of Normandy's men, after 1066. The Manor is mentioned in the Domesday Book. This family, and then the Nevills, developed the fortified manor house, part of which still stands and are still in daily use. In 1666 the estate was then sold to the Langton family, who, by the 1760s had built the grand house which sits at the heart of the Newton Park campus today.

Joseph Langton completed the development of his new home, with newly landscaped grounds. The work of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown, these grounds perfectly complimented the house, and boasted lakes, a garden temple and all the trappings of a country gentleman's lifestyle.

A new view of Capability Brown's landscape

This landscape is, somehow, rediscovered through the medium of a brand-new, state-of-the-art academic building, as from within, some beautiful new vistas are opened up. From each floor, the wide windows present different angles; from the top floor it is possible to see 360 degree views, over the main house, the landscape and the surrounding woods. It is spectacular.

The view across the valley towards Kelston Round Hill

In the 1940s, Newton Park passed out of the ownership of the Gore Langton family, and was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall. It was leased to Bath City Council, who opened it as a women's teacher training college. Gradually over the years, it developed, became independent, and grew into Bath Spa University. It continues to develop - hence the new building, to be followed soon by the new student accommodation. In fact work on these halls of residence began this month...watch this space.

Richard captures new memories

The new academic building is positioned on a spot which has witnessed a great deal. In the 1940s there was a small orchard here, and beside it,  a tennis court was constructed. Both of these still existed until the 1980s. Adjacent to these, the first men's hall of residence - Hungerford Court - took shape; it opened in 1962.

Among the trees - the view from the first floor

These have all formed the foundations of our shiny new building. This seems very fitting. Former students and staff have returned to Newton Park and told us their stories of life in and around the rooms, the corridors and the grounds. Some were sad that the old things had to go to make way for the new, others were accepting of change and the need to move ever-forward. And of course, there are some people who would never want to return to their old haunts, preferring to hold their memories intact. At the archive, we have sympathy with all these views, and only hope that we will always do justice to memories, in all their forms.

Towards Newton St Loe and Bath

On the day Richard and I saw inside the new building, most of the people looking around were taking photographs, using cameras, phones or tablets. We were all capturing fresh memories, ready to pass on to the people who follow us...

Mary Dawson

One of the most prominent and inspiring characters in the history of the university is Mary Dawson, who was the first principal of Newton Park when it became a teacher training college in 1946, until her retirement in 1968. Many oral history interviewees have speculated that having made Newton Park her life, retirement was very difficult for her. She certainly threw her life into building the community of students she cared so much about.

Mary Dawson, 1928

At the time of Miss Dawson's appointment in September 1945, Newton Park itself was not yet habitable, and the series of setbacks experienced at the time will be looked at in future blogs. Suffice to say that what was supposed to be a six month delay turned into three years, and the 'college' transferred in 1949. Shortly afterwards, Princess Elizabeth (later HM the Queen) led the official opening.

Mary Dawson, c 1938. Lecturer in Education at Whitelands College, London

There is no doubt that Miss Dawson's strength of character and determination to fulfil her role, kept the momentum going during this time. She later wrote that she felt personally responsible for the young women students in her care, and was not prepared to let them down.

There is a portrait of her, painted around the time of her retirement in 1968, which now, once more, hangs in the main house at Newton Park. It has recently returned there having spent some years in the basement strongroom, as people had perhaps begun to forget what we owe this woman. The portrait is rather stern, which may be why it was consigned to storage. Recent oral history interviewees have told us that it does not show her in a true light, and that she was more caring than this portrayal might suggest.

The Principal, painted shortly before her retirement in 1968

Another recent addition to the archive collection is the photograph taken of Miss Dawson before the Second World War. This seems to reveal a different aspect. This is my favourite picture; she looks like a strong character, able to calmly face her challenges, perhaps?

The final image is of Miss Dawson, taken in 1971, when she received a Doctorate in Music from the University of Bristol. She was passionate about music, and saw to it that the music provision at Newton Park was well supported and extremely well thought of.

Mary Dawson, 1971

Suffragists and Suffragettes - tantalising snippets

This week, there was a flurry of media interest in the story of Emily Wilding Davison, who famously died at the 1913 Derby, trampled under the King's horse. As someone with a keen interest in the historical campaign for women's votes, I was fascinated to notice that this anniversary has been marked, while others have gone by, fairly unnoticed. This seems a terrible shame, and rather a missed opportunity, although  possibly understandable; the Davison case has the right level of high drama for a 21st century audience, perhaps.

The Suffragettes of one hundred years ago were the more militant, inheritors of the mantle set down by the Suffragists of the 19th century. From around the time of the Great Reform Act of 1832, when the voting franchise was extended in greater numbers than ever before, the question of whether it should be extended to everyone - to women, to non-property owners, to the working classes - vexed government, as well as those attempting to change suffrage legislation in their favour. It was strongly felt that the right to vote was the key to the door of influence, of power over your own life, and of power to change other's lives; the holy grail of democracy. Several changes in legislation over the course of the second half of the century would bring the vote to all men, but women continued to be marginalised. When the campaign was re-ignited at the turn of the 20th century, it was increasingly felt that different tactics were required. Women's Suffrage Societies attracted the most members, whilst the more militant Women's Social and Political Union, set up by the Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia. Many who joined the WSPU would later become disillusioned with their violent 'Deeds Not Words' mantra, and join the suffrage societies instead. This was particularly true after Davison's death at the 1913 Derby.

The BSU Archive contains two small pieces of information which give fascinating insights into the cause of women's rights. The first, the biographical details of a nineteenth century lady of the manor, and the second, the recollections of a Domestic Science student of 1911.

Lady Anna Eliza, daughter of the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, eloped with William Henry Powell Gore Langton in the mid nineteenth century. The affair caused a scandal at the time, but they appear to have been a determined couple; the elopement was discovered, the marriage was stopped, but then went ahead anyway. Lady Anna was a visionary in her own right. As a campaigner for Women’s Rights she was amongst the influential group who signed John Stuart Mill's petition to include women in the Representation of the People Bill of 1867. Her husband, as the somewhat radical Conservative MP for Somerset, signed it too. Lady Anna was President of the Bath branch of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, and later became President of the Bristol and West of England branch. She would continue to support a number of women’s causes throughout her life, including general and medical education and welfare. She worked with Bristol activist Mary Carpenter on a scheme to train women teachers in India, and left £1000 to Girton College, Cambridge in her will on her death in 1879.  

Domestic Science College students at the turn of the twentieth century wore a distinctive uniform with scarlet blouses, long black serge skirts and stiff white collars and cuffs.These uniform blouses apparently rendered the students very conspicuous, and it would seem that any perceived misdemeanour was reported quickly.  In 1911, the militant suffragette movement was at its height. Eagle House, at nearby Batheaston, served as a place of recuperation to those recovering from hunger strike and force feeding during prison sentences. It seems, from the written memoir of one student, that the famous suffragette Annie Kenney came to Bath, and there 

‘hurled a brick through the GPO window in order to arouse attention and interest - we students were all the in the seething crowd - but alas the scarlet blouses were noticed and again we were reported'

And this is all it says...before the next stage of research, we cannot be sure if this was indeed Annie Kenney who was, after all, staying at Eagle House to aid her recovery. But the story of Eagle House is a fascinating one, and of particular interest to Bath Spa University. 

Friends and colleagues well known to the university's history department have researched, written about and recorded details of Eagle House, and the commemorative project which happened there then, and how this was re-commemorated, one hundred years later, in 2011. The Blathwayt family welcomed the Suffragette women to their home, inviting them to plant a tree, and at the same time keeping a unique photographic record of the act. Canadian Historian Cynthia Hammond carried out the research and Dan Brown of 'Bath In Time' digitized the extraordinary collection of images. The arboretum no longer exists, having been lost during a housing development in Batheaston, so three new trees were planted, at Alice Park, Victoria Park, and by the lake at the Newton Park campus of the university, in 2011. You can find out more about all this on  

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/womens-history/suffragettetrees/
and 
http://www.cynthiahammond.com/suffragettes_in_bath.html
and
http://www.bathintime.co.uk/search/keywords/suffragette
  

Exhibition Catalogue, 2011

The New and the (Not So) Old

This week Hayley and Laura have written the guest post and have decided to hold an interview so that you can get to know the two archivists a little better. Hayley has been working at the Archive since October 2012 and Laura is our newest recruit, starting in April 2013.

How did you come to work at the BSU Archive? 

Hayley: I selected the Humanities at Work module for my second year of study as I want to work at the Imperial War Museum as Education Officer and felt that I should start gaining experience of working within active historical environment. I was given the choice of working at the Archive (then known as the Newton Park Project), working on digitisation for Bath in Time or at an excavation project with connection to the Roman Baths. I chose to work at the Archive as working on a brand new project in which I got to meet past students and staff of the institution I studied at sounded fantastic. 

Laura: I knew Hayley before starting at the Archive, and it was her passion and interest in what they were doing that really got me interested, especially when she would sit and tell me things about the Gore Langtons and the history of Newton Park and Corsham Court. I already followed the BSU Archive Twitter feed https://twitter.com/@BSUArchive , so had a little understanding of what had been going on, so as soon as I found out about the summer module I contacted Bobby who seemed more than happy to let me get involved and join Hayley and the team here at Corsham Court the next week to see if I was interested.

A view of the East Wing of Main House.

Did your first impressions of Newton Park encourage you to find out more about the history of the institution?

Hayley: Definitely. I had not visited the university before I came to live and study in Bath. I was stunned by the beauty of the buildings and landscape of the campus and my inner historian wanted to find out more, but I didn't know where to get information. When the opportunity to become involved in a project that would teach me more about the institution whilst providing me with experience of a working archive arose, I grabbed onto it with both hands!

Laura: I came to the university in 2010 to visit a friend for a week, and fell in love with the campus and its grounds. Once I then started at university I learnt a little more about the history of the grounds however it wasn't until Hayley started telling me about her work at the Archives that I realised just how much history there was surrounding the estate, and ever since then I have wanted to be a part of finding out more!

The Garden Temple

What interests you most about working at the BSU Archive?

Hayley: Of the wide scope of work that we do here, for me the oral history section of the Archive is the most enjoyable part. Whilst we have been given some fantastic donations of former student’s work and some beautifully crafted scrap books, I feel that physically interviewing past students and staff has a competitive edge when regarding personal accounts of the past of the institution. During the interviews these people share their memories and seeing their facial expressions and hearing their tone of voice can affect your impression of what they’re talking about. The human history is made more real when you are face to face with someone who used to sleep in the room you now have seminars in!

Laura: I didn't have any experience with regards to oral history and working with in an Archive before,  other than what I had studied as part of my course, so I am really interested in finding out more about how it works, and the logistics of actually putting together an Archive, as it all seems very complicated to me at the moment. What I am most excited for right now is meeting people who went to the university before I was even born, and hearing their stories about what life was like, as well as having access to pictures of what the campus was like before. I am also really interested in the family history behind both Newton Park and Corsham Court, and despite reading quite a bit about them, would love to find out some more. 

Hayley and Laura having a look at the Technical School's minute book from 1905.

Bugs, damp and rusty pins: Conservation challenges in the archive

Here in the archive, although most of our documents are relatively modern (20th century onwards) we still have to consider the potentially damaging effects of the environment.

The 'nine agents of deterioration' is a theme very familiar to Conservator Emma Gatehouse, a Bath Spa graduate who now works for the National Trust. She developed an interest and expertise in this area during MA Heritage Management studies at BSU, and has advised the archivists here on aspects of preservation and collections care. (By the way, those nine agents of deterioration are fire, water, loss, physical, chemical, biological, light, humidity and temperature)

As well as being an archive storage area, our room at Corsham Court is also a working office, so the rather cool temperature has to be accommodated through extra jumpers for the archivists! It also means that we are surrounded by archive quality storage boxes, and in the corner, our two display mannequins stand, awaiting their chance to show off any period clothing. On a day to day basis, 'Archie' and 'Little Archie' model our coats and scarves for us, and move their positions according to who was last in the office (or do they actually move independently...?) If anyone is ever in the office on their own, the mannequins either keep you company or give you the creeps, depending on your frame of mind...

Archie Archive and Little Archie, modelling our coats...

Conservation issues vary with the rest of the archive materials. During office hours, care needs to be taken with food, drink or greasy fingers; we can't risk the documents when it comes to careless handling. Some of the postwar papers, from the early days of Newton Park, are copies of letters and were produced on very fragile paper. There were paper shortages at this time, and so copies were produced on tissue-thin fragments. Many of ours were filed at the time, in bulky bundles, held tightly in one vulnerable corner by a brass split pin, which has long since rusted in position. The papers now need to be removed, but this risks further damage in the process.

Tissue thin paper, in a bundle of letters from May 1945

Other issues surround the manner in which documents were produced at the time, and items such as glue, sticky tape and paper clips can themselves damage any papers to which they are attached.

A photograph of Thelma Willoughby, in the photograph album she kept of her years at Newton Park. The album was passed to the university after her sudden death in a bookshop a few years ago. The album contains a wonderful record of the years 1949-1951.
But what shall we do with that paperclip, rusting away in the corner?

Ancient sticky tape? The cutting is from 1915, but it was taped into this scrapbook much later. Removal will mark and possibly also damage the paper.

Some of the long college photographs are rolled so tightly, they can barely be unrolled. Doing so is an exercise in patience, as previous owners of such photographs have discovered. Some have come to us cracked and damaged, especially at the ends.

Domestic Science College photograph 1937. Like a coiled spring, it won't unroll beyond this !

Collections such as albums and scrapbooks are often best left intact, whatever their condition, since handling or dismantling will not only damage them further, but change the nature of the grouping. Two overstuffed scrapbooks exist of Principal Mary Dawson's early years at Newton Park, compiled by a good friend and supporter. They represent the challenges and triumphs of those early years in a way which is unique, so we will just handle them with care!

Mary Dawson's scrapbook, kept by her friend. A treasure trove of memorabilia from 1946 

Some documents are well beyond our scope and skills, and the 19th century parish maps which once belonged on the Gore Langton estate had to go to the expert conservators at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre. The repaired maps look great, and one now hangs in the Main House reception at Newton Park, for everyone to enjoy.

Estate Map of Newton Park, beautifully flattened and restored - well, all the pieces that were saved over the years, anyway...

Finally, our Conservation adviser, Emma Gatehouse told us the most important rule to bear in mind when working with any kind of archive document, and one which is used by all collections, however big or small, important or humble. (Especially useful when funds, time or space are short!) 'The Three C's' - namely Caution, Compromise and Common Sense.

And now, time to tackle those rusty split pins....