Chance meetings and fleeting ideas

The last couple of weeks have led me to reflect on the progress of ideas, and the ways that those very ideas can come to mind as a result of chance encounters.

It doesn't matter who you speak to, where or when. Non-academic, academic, friends, acquaintances, or the couple at the bus-stop - every conversation holds the possibility of a new thought, a fresh idea or a differing perspective.

For example:

A conference paper on 1950s domesticity, made me think about Mary Dawson's emphasis on citizenship, and the education of the whole person beyond merely teacher training.

A conversation about a post-war architect opened an alternative explanatory theme for the mindset of heritage and preservation in 1940s Bath.

Two days spent escorting interview candidates around Newton Park led me to reconsider the estate as part of the wider offer of our institution, and to further clarify the ways this has been addressed over the years.

Talking to family members, a waitress (student) in a coffee shop, and an elderly lady, made me more aware of the particular qualities of teachers, and their general skills-set.

It seems, the further I travel down this postgraduate road, the more ideas there are to accommodate, and the more decisions are yet to be made in terms of direction and focus.

I love Elaine Chalus' image of research as a vast funnel, with ideas pouring in at the top, running down to the pure 'drip' of knowledge at the bottom. I have used the image myself when talking to others, many times. At the moment, my own personal funnel is overflowing, and I think perhaps that a little time may now be required to settle some of my thoughts, rearrange them a little, and begin the analysis process.

Getting organised

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed over the past week or so. Whether this is the typical 'post-break' feeling or something a little more serious, I'm not sure, but its led me to think very hard about my organisation strategy.

Overall, I think my current method is effective, but can see a time over the next few years when I'll have too many notes, books, and information repositories.

I have:
1 notebook on the go at a time. With this method I hope to build a time/place association (each book is a different colour) so that thought processes can be traced

1 card file with one card for each source read (a tangible record of each source read)

A small pile of sources to get through at a time (too many at a time becomes overwhelming, I've found)

Computer folders and files with downloaded articles, journal references etc. Its this last category which is starting to feel unwieldy, and I'm forgetting what I have there.

So, overall, it seems I work best with tangible resources, and I find reassurance and comfort, I suppose, from being able to see, touch or handle the things I need. This is why organisational apps don't suit me - or at least I've never found one (yet?) which suits the way I think and function.

 I will have to rearrange my online and computer-stored sources, to respond to this way of operating. Then, perhaps, I will begin to feel more in control.

The good thing is that I've identified, through writing this down, what I need to do and why I need to do it.

Now for some thinking about an online system...

Progress to date...

So, I have finally completed a 'progress to date' piece to give to my supervisor. It was very helpful to consider everything so far, and to record where I am at the moment.

It also surprised me to discover that I'd read and done more than I thought. I'm considering a regular update of this nature, serving as much as a 'Note to Self' as a report back to Bobby.

This is what I wrote:
Progress July – October

My initial plan was to read as much secondary material as I could, in order to familiarise myself with issues within the range of themes which are covered by this study.

Since July, I have investigated the broader threads surrounding the history of Newton Park. In addition to wide reading, the 'professional responsibilities' surrounding research work and postgraduate status have allowed me to develop in a number of fruitful ways. As a result, I feel I have developed as a student, as a candidate and as a part of the history school.

After the last supervision meeting in June 2013, I identified and documented the following areas for further research:

Women's training colleges & education

Authors: Carol Dyhouse, Elizabeth Edwards, Andrea Jacobs & Camilla Leach, Byrne, Deborah Thom, June Purvis, Sandra Acker, Mary Cathcart Borer, Josephine Kamm, Alison Oram, Myrdal & Klein,

Findings: Themes discuss the promotion of middle class values, respectability, a place for women's rights and ideas of equality to develop but within the perhaps confining themes of respectability and established values. Oral histories of Newton Park would seem to support this, although the pattern these authors discuss was set prior to the Second World War, and was diminishing as a force in the post-war period. At Newton Park, however, it seems to have continued whilst developing and growing as the decades progressed. Did Newton Park embrace change more smoothly? Was the plan always to change or was change forced upon the college? Theories of ‘Cultural Reproduction’ and ‘Social Reproduction’ (Edwards) are very interesting here (Thom) in which a dominant culture seeks to reproduce the next generation in an image of itself, without change, analysis of its own faults or progression to a more enlightened self.

Demographics/the Post-War world/Women's opportunities and expectations

Authors: Lyn Abrams, Linda Eisenmann, (Mary Dawson’s own papers)

Findings: Mary Dawson makes little or no allusion to her single status, and neither does anyone else. In this era she was not unusual. The generation she belonged to, the 'surplus women', are a specific generation who underwent many cultural shifts in the first half of the 20^th century. Themes such as trade unionism, the working world, equal pay and equal professional recognition are all featured. This requires more focus. The growth of psychology and its popular application throughout the first few decades of the 20^th century is particularly interesting, since Mary Dawson and the students alike mention this frequently. I need to research this from both primary and secondary angles.

The discourse surrounding post-war opportunity supports the oral history evidence that opportunities were limited. This needs more research. Are the opportunities and choices simply realistic, and were the women thinking very long-term, sensibly? Are the oral history statements a self-justification of their choices? How real were the perceived limitations?

Education policies and the expansion of the sector

Authors: Haddow et al, McNair, Robbins, John Newsom, Dent, Silver, Paechter, Felicity Hunt et al, Roy Lowe et al,

Findings: Mary Dawson frequently cites the McNair Report (1944) as inspiration for her own career. Later, the Robbins Report (1963) led to further expansion in the sector. It was this later expansion which coincided with Mary Dawson’s retirement. Each of these was an important aspect of the century-long drive towards provision of mass education. The reports will be analysed more fully once Miss Dawson’s papers have been studied more extensively.

Background of the country house story

Authors: Elizabeth Crawford, Roy Porter et al, J H Plumb, Peter Borsay, Amanda Foreman, David Cannadine, Estate papers, Bath Record Office collections, DW Humphries papers.

Findings: This is the area which has taken much of my focus, as a poster was produced for conference presentation. This proved very useful, as I found out the background of the 18^th century estate development, and its eventual transition towards sale and dispersal. A great deal of this information had been ‘missing’ from the Newton Park narrative, and I think I’ll be able to use it within the thesis, to support ideas around the kind of community which Mary Dawson was able to create. I think it will be crucial explain what was there originally, in telling the story of what was made new. The estate history is therefore the underpinning knowledge which informs the Dawson era developments. Alongside the postgraduate study itself, the 18^th century and estate sale information is also already feeding into conference papers, articles and collaborative research, and looks likely to provide an area for further development. In relating the private estate era to the College era, it would be interesting to explore themes of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ communities and the democratization of an elite space.

Place and memory

Authors: Maurice Halbwachs, Portelli, Thompson, Thomson, Shelley Trower, Leydesdorff et al, Cohen et al, Steven Rose, Anne Whitehead, Paul Connerton, James Fentress & Chris Wickham, Olick et al, Erll et al, Carter et al, Russell, Schama

Findings: So far, my reading and other discussions at conferences and postgraduate meetings have led me towards strong themes of place and memory, social memory, and the building of communities. Following a discussion with Alison Hems, I had the chance to sit in an MA seminar led by Olivette Otele, on the topic of memory, which enabled me to reconsider the reading I'd carried out on the subject of 'social memory'. This seemed at first a rather slippery concept, but it begins to make more sense to me, and has ever more resonance in relation to the beginnings of Newton Park College. The early cohort of students and staff had a shared social memory of the war, so their determination to build a new community was even more firm. As we move away from the 'century of horrors' identified by Schama's 'Landscape and Memory' it seems even more crucial to recall the manner in which the upheaval experienced in the first half of the 20th century coloured the collective outlook. This feeling in turn affected the psyche of the later generations, seeking to break away from the weight of the past. The transition between these phases was the timescale of Mary Dawson's principalship, and I think they can be traced through her work and writings.

I am still 'saving' the Dawson papers for a time when I can fully focus on them, and think that once the two new students are settled into the archive work, this opportunity will occur. After this, I will be able to go back over the oral history transcriptions, in light of Mary Dawson's words. At that stage, I will begin another period of secondary reading, in order to inform my thoughts at that stage.

Reading Ellie Woodacre’s PhD thesis was very encouraging, as I could imagine a similar style and tone for the Newton Park work. Her style is approachable, clear and informative, and one I would wish to emulate. The more I read, the more I feel frustrated by the style of certain academic writing which seeks to mystify, or at least put barriers in front of the reader through their use of terminology. I feel strongly that learning and research are tools for communication, and began this process of research to make the story of Newton Park better understood. I understand the need to undergo the PhD process intelligently and thoroughly, but hope that the end result is as clear and informative as Ellie’s.

'Professional Responsibilities and Development'

Opportunities for personal and professional development have included:

IHR Summer School – July

Alumni reunions and meetings – July & October

Research at the Duchy Office - September

Georgian Pleasures Conference – September

Meetings with academics – July, August, September, October

Michael Pembroke lecture - September

Postgraduate’s Reception at Newton Park - September

Adrian Tinniswood lectures – September, October

Artists in the Archives Conference – September

Olivette Otele lecture & seminar - October

Postgraduate School workshops – September, October

Postgraduate historians’ group meetings – September, October

Royal Historical Society Symposium at Corsham Court – October

Since the new year began at BSU, the postgraduate historians have been provided with a number of opportunities for networking, training and further professional development. Although not all of these have been specifically tailored to our needs, all have been extremely useful. Professional development comes in many forms, from technical knowledge to improved networking skills, and so I have valued all of the recent events. The opportunity to think more deeply, collaboratively and laterally can occur in many different situations, and all of these occasions have proved fruitful.

Reunions and ideas

Newton Park Reunions, July, August and October 2013

Each reunion group which returns to Newton Park carries with it, new opportunities for research, further oral history chances and time to wallow in a little more historical atmosphere.

I've noticed that every aspect of these events can be fruitful. Talking with alumni, listening, watching, watching the current students reactions and interactions, analysing memories, seeing old photographs - the list of possibilities is seemingly endless.

The experience is overwhelmingly positive, which leads me to also wonder about contrasts, opposites and negative experiences. Are these the people who had positive experiences at Newton Park, or those of a lifelong positive frame of mind? Are they outgoing people anyway, or does each returning student have their own different reasons and motivations for coming back? Are the ones who don't come, the ones with negative memories, or simply those who prefer to keep their memories to themselves? These questions are also seemingly endless.

The exploration of these aspects of my research will continue, informed by secondary reading, further reunions and analysis of oral history interviews. For effective contrast, it seems necessary to find someone with a negative experience, but by definition, they are not the people who are likely to surface...

There is a great deal to consider here. For now, I carry on thinking about it.

The story so far...

So, my supervisors have worked on me this week, one assisting a good deal of lateral thought, and the other requesting a timely update on my progress to date.

I've also attended another of the PhD events - this time a workshop - run by the Graduate School. These seem to be happening frequently at the moment, probably due to the influx of new research students at the University. Life is certainly full of bustle over at Corsham Court.

I will start to thrash out a progress paper next week, but my initial thoughts are that I seem to have come a long way in the last few months, and writing it down will show me just how far.

Since my initial registration in July, I have indeed 'read everything I could get my hands on' (as per advice from Elaine Chalus) I've realised I'm deeply intimidated by a massive pile of books, so just pick a small selection, perhaps four or five, to tackle at a time. So far, this has proved a good system, and I've used a combination of our own library resources (from Newton Park, Sion Hill and Corsham Court) as well as inter-library loans.

With each pile of books, I've been addressing a slightly different angle, and this will lead to new routes and ideas. One of these routes followed as a result of Monday's conversation with Alison Hems, when we discussed memory and place, and my difficulty in sourcing the right kind of text to help me. At her invitation, I sat in on an MA lecture taken by Olivette Otele, on the subject of memory. Hearing her synthesis of the strands of memory theory and the discussion which ensued has helped me push certain ideas forward; ideas I hope to be able to feed in the next phase of research.

Each discussion with my supervisors feels like rather 'exposing' myself  - to criticism, to analysis and to another glimpse of the mountain I still have left to climb. But I'm learning to embrace these feelings which for so long have alarmed me. And confidence is building as a result.

Its been a good week.

The Evolution of Ideas

Its interesting to discover how one changes as a learner during the process of learning, and that learning, thinking, considering and reconsidering happens all the time.

This process has given me a great deal of food for thought, but I'm coming to realise that its also something I've been considering for many years in former incarnations, quite different from the student life I now lead, but which have all been leading me to this point.

So, I seem to have spent a number of years of my adult life, thinking and learning - about thinking and learning.

During 21 years of parenthood, and 13 years of preschool-leading, I've been fascinated in the process of learning, of how people develop, of ways to encourage learning and the ways in which learning can be inhibited. Learning has always struck me as being a 'natural' process, but one which can easily be derailed. I have applied these ideas to the process of  student mentoring over the past two years, and I'm looking forward to helping the first year students in the London module from next week.

Learning is very exciting; witnessing this process in others, even more so. Watching the process of developing maturity as learning takes place is a privileged viewpoint. 

Time is one of the greatest resources in the process, but it's this aspect which is overlooked. Learning, in the school environment at least, has become a rushed activity, and one which is constantly assessed to see if it's happening. When young students come into academia, this is an area which needs to be addressed.

They are so used to 'finding the answer' that they take time to settle into the notion that their own development depends not on finding the answer, but exploring the questions. 

Perhaps this is where mature students benefit, as they are perhaps more likely to have recognized themselves as the products of a lifetime of development - not 'finished' in the manner of the school leaver, but a work in progress, unfinished, in need of honing.

As a society I believe we place far too much emphasis on the teaching to order, and fail to recognise the value of real learning. As long as schools, tests and results are the emphasis, then the learning we do by exposure to life as a whole will always be undervalued, and this to the detriment of society as a whole.

The whole 'no holidays in term time' issue spins on the axis of learning versus teaching, but it's probably best not to get me started on that particular bit of insidiousness...

On Conferences

I've just attended another conference, this time hosted by the Centre for History and Culture at my own university. Organised by Professor. Elaine Chalus and Dr Roberta Anderson, the event was rooted in the 18th century, under the title 'Georgian Pleasures'.

During the two days, the postgraduate group, along with several enthusiastic undergrads, began to run with Bobby and Elaine's idea of hosting their own conference, in June 2014.

Attendance at previous conferences has given me a flavour of what is involved, what is required, and ideas for successful future events. 

Our topic is the 300th anniversary of the accession of George I, and the changes which happened in the transition from the Stuarts to the Hanoverians. This will give a wide canvas to explore, from social to political, cultural to military history. 

Having jotted down a list of tasks, thoughts and initial plans, the next step will be to gather the group and decide what to do next. It's an exciting prospect. The group is composed of a range of people, with a range of skills, and between us we should be able to organise a terrific event.

Watch this space.

The trouble with holidays...

1. Break from study, pros and cons
2. Reading for pleasure versus reading for research. Is there a difference?
3. Hitting the ground running once again

Well this was a list of notes I'd prepared for another post, probably some time in July. Shall I try and remember what I was going to say?

There's always a problem with holidays. On the one hand, they are much needed, to refresh and recreate, sooth the senses and recoup energy levels.

On the other, the brain calms down and its hard to rev it up again.

So, do you take reading with you? Or rest the brain properly and give yourself space to really think?

During two separate weeks away, I opted for the latter. But this means I've allowed some thoughts to get through, sparked a few new ones, and prepared mentally for the next stage.

And the answer to question 2 is.....? To be decided. 

September Air

The sun is still shining but a sniff of autumn lies in the morning air. September is here and the summer holidays have slipped away.

Work in the archive has continued throughout the summer months, but the new term still has that feeling of 'real work about to begin'.

So today I've picked up two books via the lovely Becky and the Inter-Library Loan system, and work will progress in earnest.

The summer has given me the chance to think around my subject, and to plan ahead. I've synthesized one aspect of my research into a poster presentation for the upcoming 'Georgian Pleasures' conference, which has given me a chance to look at ways of presenting the information, ways of thinking issues through, and ways of meeting a different challenge. This has included learning a programme I had not used before (Microsoft Publisher) and two very useful meetings with fellow PhD students.

My son leaves for University in less than two weeks, and although this will mean changes in my family life, I'm looking forward to focusing more of my effort on study and work.

Piles of books, and other relevant things...

Today I had an impromptu meeting with two of my fellow PhD students. I hope it will be the first of many.

The value of talking to people engaged in the same activity is enormous. Not only do they understand the issues you face, but it's possible to discuss things without fear.  I have found that if there's one way to stop most conversations, it's to tell acquaintances that you are studying for a PhD...

So, today I had a meeting and chat with Georgina and James, and we swapped a few notes on our research journeys so far. We discovered that we share some confusion over the forms we've encountered so far, and that uncertainty over where we are in the whole studying process seems par for the course. 

It might appear that they are more at home with certain aspects of research and intellectual approach, but I have a little more experience of conferences, lecturing, and student mentoring. It will be good to be able to offer guidance and support to one another as we move ahead in the coming months. 

As George and I had both been to the library, it was interesting to discover we have opposite approaches here. G prefers a huge pile to tackle, moving books from the 'unread' to the 'completed' stack. By contrast, I am daunted by a huge pile, preferring to tackle a few at a time, returning them to the library before attempting a fresh lot. 

But one thing we are all certain of...no-one has enough room for all the books they need! 

IHR Summer School

As part of my supervisor's brief to 'Get Out There' amongst fellow toilers in the historical research field, I booked myself onto an IHR Summer School last week.

Situated in London, a stone's throw from the British Museum, the Institute of Historical Research provides a range of services for historians, based at the University of London. The theme of the three day school was advertised as Local History, and I hoped it could point me in a few new directions. 

Although not all of the papers and lectures were directly relevant, I nonetheless heard a great deal to ponder on. When the subject matter is several centuries away from your own research, you can at least sit back and observe technique and delivery. After all, this is a skill I will have to master during the course of my studies; the practical side of being a PhD student, if you will.

Over the past few years, I've had the opportunity to attend a number of conferences and to hear a number of papers delivered. The speakers I've heard have ranged from working academics to writers to individual researchers and archivists, but it seems that current occupation is no clue to the ability of the speaker to be engaging and to show what fascinates them about their chosen topic. So often, speakers are hampered in their ability to put this across to an audience - the technology goes wrong, the acoustics in the room are tricky, or that histrionic hand action gets in the way.

So I'm grateful that my undergraduate course put a strong emphasis on learning and practising the skills involved in presentation, and feel I've had the chance to hone them a good deal. Sitting listening to the delivery of papers, it's clear why we had all that rehearsal time. 

I hope, when its my turn, that I can achieve a standard of delivery which at least does justice to my subject and sources. Whether that can be realised after years  of research, is a question I will have to wait to answer...

As for the IHR Summer School, the range of speakers was stimulating and several really helped. I've discovered a while range of resources, potential routes of research and new archives to visit. Meal breaks and discussions with other history types led to all sorts of revelations and contacts. And being so close to the British Museum was a great treat.

I hope to become more involved with the IHR, despite the expense involved with a stay in London. Those who live closer to the capital have a distinct advantage, although I did enjoy the number of mentions to Bath in some of the lectures. Perhaps the advantage is mine, after all...? 

The PhD student info pack has arrived...

Well now its getting real.

A set of paperwork to read through, and a huge pile of huge books to read.

I've had a meeting with my supervisor, Dr Roberta Anderson (known as Bobby) and talked through how to really begin research in earnest. It was a good meeting, not least because chatting with members of the history department at BSU is always an inspiration. Its a great team, with great people, and I look forward to working with them even more.

My extra reading has also turned up a fascinating snippet of information, that the last family owner of Newton Park, Algernon Temple Gore Langton, was a member of the British Fascist Party in the 1930s. (according to David Cannadine) This adds a terrific extra layer to the background story of the property. One of my students on the BSU Archive is also interested in this as a potential dissertation topic, so I look forward to finding out more along with her.

My second supervisor is Dr Alison Hems, who was my tutor for the MA in Heritage Management last year. It was Alison who pointed me in the direction of the Cannadine book (Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy) as a good background text on this topic.

So, between all the experts in history and heritage at Bath Spa, I've been set in the right direction.

Time to read the PhD handbook...

Well, here we are...

Next week I officially begin as a PhD student at Bath Spa University.

However, the process has been going on a while, and has taken a lifetime of preparation, it seems.

Let me explain...

I started at Bath Spa University in 2008, and graduated with a BA Hons in History in 2011. Having discovered a whole new world, I didn't want to stop there, so I carried on with an MA in Heritage Management, and became interested (and frankly a little alarmed) at the prospect of working on a PhD.

This was at the suggestion of my supervisor, Dr Roberta Anderson, who throughout both degrees has encouraged and inspired my efforts, and understood what, as a mature student, I needed to push me onwards. I owe her a great deal.

During my final year as an undergraduate, I was given the opportunity to work on the Newton Park archive papers, and have continued this ever since. Newton Park is a country estate near the glorious city of Bath. With origins going back to the 11th century, the core of the estate is the 18th century mansion built in the 1760s, in the city's heyday as a fashionable Georgian spa town. This house nestles in a beautiful wide valley, landscaped by Capability Brown. The family who owned these rolling acres sold it after the death of Algernon Temple Gore Langton, 5th Earl Temple, in 1940. It then became a women's teacher training college, in the period of post Second World War reconstruction, and the expansion of the English education system. At the heart of this development was the first Principal of the college, Mary Dawson.

What was a training college adapted through the years to eventually become Bath Spa University.

Alongside the BSU Archive development, I have also been involved with gathering oral histories from former students and staff of the college, and it is this dynamic combination of archive history and personal testimony which has led me towards PhD studies. I want to tell the story of what was created here, back in the late 1940s and in the two decades which followed. I am inspired by the visionary determination of Mary Dawson, and the more I find out about her, the more I have come to believe that it was her personal drive and passion which built the solid foundations of community and place from which everything else has grown.

Having spent over two years on the archive project, I've been able to amass a considerable amount of information already. But this is only the beginning...

PS. To explain the title of the blog: Back in the day, rules were strict. Women students at Newton Park during Miss Dawson's tenure were warned not to wear fluffy slippers when entertaining young men at their hostels. 1961 -1964 student Carole Venner told me this with a giggle of reminiscence "Well fluffy slippers were supposed to inflame men's passions, weren't they?!"