Outside view of the Percy Building and the Armstrong Building from the Quadrangle, NUA/014582/8, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
In 1898, in honour of the study of English Language and Literature, Newcastle University (formerly part of the University of Durham) appointed Charles Harold Herford, who was the first chair of English in the College of Physical Science. Before then, English was not a taught subject at the University and colleges taught medicine, science and engineering which were appropriate to local industries.
The Percy building was therefore built as a means of housing the new departments in the faculties of the arts and economic studies and to separate the English department from the college of physical science. It was officially opened on 14th October 1958 and was named after Lord Percy of Newcastle, the first rector of King’s College between 1937-1952 in recognition of his outstanding work and achievements.
Opening of Percy Building 1958 depicting Lord Percy (right) alongside Charles Ion Carr Bosanquet, Rector of King’s College (1952 – 1963), NUA/014837/1, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
In 1963 when the division of the University of Durham formed the establishment of Newcastle University, those teaching English were apprehensive of this split. Staff feared the loss of library holdings in Durham and worried that the arts in Newcastle would be overwhelmed by other dominant disciplines. Despite this, in the post-war decades English degrees increased in popularity. The school has held its own and continues to teach high numbers of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The English department has become home to several outstanding scholars who have made considerable contributions to English Language studies. Allen Mawer from 1909 pioneered the modern study of English place names. Harold Orton, perhaps best known for his first published major work on the ‘Phonology of the South Durham Dialect’ in 1932, represented a huge step forward in the modern history of dialects. Furthermore, the appointed professor of English Language and Linguistics from 1964, Barbara Strang, developed a unique integration of descriptive and historical approaches to the study of the English language which became the hallmark of the University’s English department.
Visit CollectionsCaptured to see more photographs of Newcastle University campus from the University Archives.
Sources
Booklet for the opening of the Percy Building, 1958, NUA 16/17/1, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
McCord, Norman (2006) Newcastle University Past, Present and Future. Newcastle: Third Millennium Publishing.
Want to learn more about the history of Newcastle University campus? Why not explore all the articles in our Campus Tour blog series.
Newcastle University Students’ Union Building 1969, NUA/061885-1, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
University of Newcastle upon Tyne Undergraduate Prospectus, 1987, NUA 6/3, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
The dramatic frontage of Student’s Union building was built around 1924, designed by local Architect Robert Burns Dick who also designed the towers of the famous Tyne Bridge. The coats of arms over the main entrance are for three separate organisations; Armstrong College, Durham University and Newcastle College of Medicine, which reflect the separate institutions which went on to become Newcastle University. Until at least the 1950s, the Union was split into separate organisations for women and men, each with their own offices and common rooms, and even separate entrances. A bricked up door on King’s Road is likely the old women’s entrance.
Photograph of the bricked-up women’s entrance to the Student Union building
The original building was created for a student population of only 800 but by 1948, numbers had risen to 3200. The Student’s Union building had suffered from poor adaptations, heavily used furnishings and, as one commentator put it, ‘injudicious attempts at fashionable décor’. The solution was renovations and an extension to the Union building designed by Sir William Whitfield. The new facilities were opened in 1964. The British Modernist construction included a debating chamber, dance hall and a refectory featuring coffee lounges, bar facilities and improved catering. The enlarged Student’s Union Building has since hosted hundreds of gigs, including Fleetwood Mac, Blur and George Ezra.
Learn more about student life on campus in this series of blogs exploring the history of the student publication The Courier.
Sources
Concert Archives (2021) Newcastle University Students Union’s Concert History. Available at: https://www.concertarchives.org/venues/newcastle-university-students-union–5
Ernest Marsden Bettenson. (1971) The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne: a historical introduction, 1834-1971. Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Historic England (2021) Students’ Union. Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1355263
McCord, Norman (2006) Newcastle University Past, Present and Future. Newcastle: Third Millennium Publishing.
Opening of the Refectory and Students’ Union Extension, 7th March 1964, NUA 16/7/1/20, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
Want to learn more about the history of Newcastle University campus? Why not explore all the articles in our Campus Tour blog series.
Old Quadrangle 1950-1960, NUA/UNCAT/quadrangle c1955, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
The picturesque gardens of the Old Quadrangle have been a popular site for graduation photographs for many years. The Quad is situated in the oldest part of Newcastle University Campus, and is framed by listed buildings – the Armstrong Building, Hatton Gallery and Architecture Building. It hasn’t always been a relaxing green space. During World War I, auxiliary army huts were placed in the Quad, where they remained until after World War 2, operating as makeshift classrooms. The Quad was also a thoroughfare for cars.
Old Quadrangle with auxiliary army huts 1935-1949, NUA/UNCAT/quadrangle pre 1949, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
This all changed between 1947 and 1949, when the Quad was laid out and planted as a memorial garden. The garden is dedicated to members of the University community who lost their lives during the two world wars. A memorial plaque can be seen on the low wall in front of you as you walk through the Arches. At least 276 staff and students from Armstrong College and Newcastle College of Medicine lost their lives in World War I alone (these two institutions formed the origins of Newcastle University). The Quad remains the venue for Remembrance Day services.
Visit this online exhibition to learn more about World War I and Newcastle University.
Sources
Ernest Marsden Bettenson. (1971) The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne: a historical introduction, 1834-1971. Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Newcastle University Art on Campus (2018) Old Quadrangle. Available at: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/art-on-campus/outdoor-spaces/
Opening of the Medical School 1939, NUA/170035/1, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
The King George VI Building was opened by King George in 1939. It was built to house the Medical School of Kings College, a newly created institution which would go on to become Newcastle University. King’s College was formed from two separate institutions – Armstrong College of Physical Sciences, and the Newcastle upon Tyne College of Medicine. Local shipowner Sir Arthur Sutherland donated £200,000 for King’s College to establish a Medical School with a dedicated building (around £14 million today). The new Medical School was nearer the hospital, less crowded and better equipped than previous facilities.
Material relating to Frederick Robson and the opening of the Medical School 1939-48, NUA/D062, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
Newcastle University’s Medical School developed to be a world leading research and teaching institution, and student numbers continued to rise. It was the first to offer an integrated curriculum, which gave students early clinical exposure as part of their studies. It remained based in the King George VI building for nearly 50 years, with an extra floor added in the 1950s. In 1984 the Medical School moved to its current location, and the building is now home to the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, and the School of Pharmacy.
University of Newcastle upon Tyne Medical School, 1964, NUA 6/2/3, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186
Visit CollectionsCaptured to see more photographs of Newcastle University campus from the University Archives.
Sitelines (no date) Tyne and Wear HER (9244): Newcastle, Queen Victoria Road, King George VI Building – Details. Available at: https://www.twsitelines.info/SMR/9244
Want to learn more about the history of Newcastle University campus? Why not explore all the articles in our Campus Tour blog series.
Constructed in 1911, Newcastle University’s redbrick Arches owe their existence to a donation made by John Bell Simpson, a North East mining magnate. Built in the neo-Jacobean style, their construction serves to commemorate King Edward VIIand theyhave become a recognised symbol of the University around the world.
Outside view of the Percy Building, Armstrong Building and the Quadrangle 1958, NUA/014582/28, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186.
Today the Arches and their surrounding building form part of the Hatton Gallery, but in 1911 they functioned as part of the King Edward VII School of Art. If you look closely, you will be able to see a bronze statue of King Edward VII recessed in a niche above the Arches in addition to a coat of arms and a Latin inscription which reads, ‘To the pious memory of the most serene King Edward VII promoter of peace on earth by heavenly inspiration. John Bell Simpson gifted this school as a home for the lovelier arts. He saw to its building, 1910’.
Arches, http://www.picturesbybish.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/picturesbybish/, Image by Chris Bishop Photograph of the Arches 2018, image by John Donoghue
The Arches served originally as the gateway to Newcastle campus from the city, but following developments on site now sit further back, framing the entrance to the University’s Armstrong Quadrangle.
Outside view of the Percy Building, Armstrong Building and the Quadrangle 1958, NUA/014582/28, Newcastle University Archives, Newcastle University Special Collections, GB 186.
Such is the iconic status of the Arches that the building has been replicated at Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia, our international branch campus in Johor, Malaysia.
Photograph of the Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia (NUMed) 2014, image by Jeffrey Cheng; Mohd Hanafiah Kamaruzzaman; Thomas Yong
Visit CollectionsCaptured to see more photographs of Newcastle University campus from the University Archives.
From a letter written by Mary Shelley to a pair of socks that were presented as evidence in a Scottish murder trial, the drawers of our new Cabinet of Curiosities reveal the great range of materials we hold and the ways they can inspire and inform your research. Hover over the cabinet drawers to open them. Learn about the items and how they came to be in our collections as well as contextual information and suggested avenues for related research.
If you find something that piques your curiosity, why not consider using Special Collections’ archives and rare books as evidence in your essay or dissertation? You can head over to our research planner which will guide you through the process of using primary sources in your work.
For Jim Beirne, MBE, April 2021 marks a 21 year career milestone as he steps down as Chief Executive of Live Theatre.
Back in 1973, Live Theatre were a touring company presenting new material to new audiences in non-theatre venues. They toured the North East performing in social clubs, community venues and schools and offered what Emeritus Creative Director Max Roberts describes as “an authentic working-class experience that [he’d] never encountered in the theatre before”. A shift towards new writing started in the early to mid-70s when the company moved from its initial home in Gateshead to join Amber Films on the Quayside. Around this time, they started working with writers like Tom Hadaway, a fish-merchant and writer, from North Shields who started to write plays for the Company. Live Theatre moved away from creating their own work and became writer-led in their approach to theatre. Tom Hadaway was the first of many esteemed writers to become a Writer in Residence at Live Theatre, the ranks of which include C.P. Taylor, Lee Hall, Julia Darling and Sean O’Brien.
By 2000, Live Theatre excelled in supporting new writers, but its financial future was uncertain. Jim Beirne joined the company in 2000, and his time as Chief Executive saw him develop a ‘new vision, new direction and a new business model’ for the theatre, and oversee ‘an outstanding programme of work that celebrates and is dedicated to presenting new stories with a strong social and political focus’ (https://www.live.org.uk/blogs-resources/jim-beirne-steps-down-live-theatre-chief-executive-after-21-years-helm). Beirne saw the theatre undergo a full refurbishment which was completed in 2007, and the opening of a series of new developments including St Vincent’s café and The Broad Chare pub, as well as The Schoolhouse, Live Works, Live Tales and Live Garden to create the Live Quarter in Newcastle Quayside. In 2011, Jim received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Northumbria University and in 2012 he was awarded an MBE for his service to theatre. This month, Jim Beirne leaves Live Theatre as a cultural institution with an international reputation as a new writing theatre; known for producing new plays and nurturing creative talent.
More details on our Live Theatre archive, which includes play scripts, photographs, correspondence, and papers relating to the growth and development of the Theatre at their Quayside location, can be found here.
Live Theatre programme for The Night of the Snapped Suspender by Leonard Barras
March 1921 marked a key milestone in the history of the Middle East and Iraq, and one in which Gertrude Bell played an important role. The key event was the Cairo Conference, where British officials met to discuss the political situation and agree on the future political makeup of the region.
Photograph of Gertrude Bell and group on camels involved in the Cairo Conference (1921) GB/PERS/F/002
The conference took place between the 12th and 30th of March in Cairo, Egypt. Key attendees included (Sir) Winston Churchill (at the time Secretary of State for the Colonies), T.E. Lawrence (Special Advisor to the Colonial Office), Sir Percy Cox (High Commissioner of Iraq) and Gertrude Bell herself who had previously been appointed as Oriental Secretary for the High Commissioner of Iraq. Gertrude Bell already had a working relationship with Percy Cox dating back several years to their time spent together in Basra and Baghdad during the First World War where she worked under him using knowledge gained over the preceding years of the local tribal populations and their politics to advise the British leadership.
We know a great deal of Gertrude’s thoughts, opinions and involvement in the conference and middle eastern politics thanks to the letters she wrote throughout her life to family members which were retained, and then passed to Newcastle University after her death in 1926. The university also holds several thousand photographs and diaries chronicling her time travelling and working overseas, often in a great deal of detail.
Gertrude’s letter of the 12th of March 1921 includes detail of her arrival in Cairo and the Semiramis hotel, and her first evening spent reacquainting with some of the other attendees at the conference:
T.E. Lawrence and others met us at the station – I was glad to see him! We retired at once to my bedroom and had an hour’s talk after which I had a long talk with Clementine while Sir P. [Sir Percy Cox] was closetted [sic] with Mr Churchill. The latter I haven’t seen yet, for he was dining out. I had Gen. Clayton to dinner and a good talk, with an amusing evening afterwards.
Part of a letter written by Gertrude Bell on the 12th March 1921. GB/LETT/1921/3/12
Busy with conference proceedings, and a visit from her father who had travelled to Cairo to see Gertrude, her next letters were written after the end of the conference whilst travelling back to Baghdad. In a letter to Lieutenant Colonel Frank Balfour Gertrude writes of the conference:
Mr Churchill was admirable, most ready to meet everyone half way and masterly alike in guiding a big meeting and in conducting the small political committees into which we broke up. Not the least favourable circumstance was that Sir Percy and I, coming out with a definite programme, found when we came to open our packets that it coincided exactly with that which the S. of S. had brought with him. The general line adopted is, I am convinced, the only right one, the only line which gives real hope of success. We are now going back to find Baghdad, I expect, at a fever pitch of excitement, to square the Naqib and to convince Saiyid Talib, if he is convinceable, that his hopes are doomed to disappointment – it’s a disappointment which will be confined to himself. But I feel certain that we shall have the current of Nationalist opinion in our favour and I’ve no doubt of success.
First page of a letter from Gertrude Bell to Frank Balfour, 25th March 1921. GB/LETT/1921/3/25
Second page of a letter from Gertrude Bell to Frank Balfour, 25th March 1921. GB/LETT/1921/3/25
As Gertrude suggests in her letter written on the 25th of March, the plan that was agreed for the future of Middle East and in particular the formation of the country of Iraq aligned closely with her own vision and ideas including the appointment of Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as the first king of Iraq. Indeed a month later on the 17th of April, when back in Baghdad, Gertrude wrote to her father saying “I’m happy in helping to forward what I profoundly Bellieve [sic] to be the best thing for this country and the wish of the best of its people”. In the same letter she also described her role in the arrest and subsequent exile of Talib al-Naqib who had objected to the British plan for Iraq and threatened a rebellion.
While the extent to which her input influenced the eventual solution can be debated, that the solution she advocated closely reflected the outcome of the conference is reflected in her writing from the time of the conference and the preceding months and years.
Gertrude Bell achieved much as a woman in the early 20th Century, including exploits in mountaineering, travelling and recording middle eastern culture and archaeology, enabled greatly by her privileged upbringing which allowed her the time, finances and social connections to develop her interests. Despite her many remarkable achievements in spheres dominated by men, she was also a prominent anti-suffrage campaigner. This aspect of Gertrude Bell’s life has been explored through an online exhibition curated by a student studying an English Literature ‘Exhibiting Texts’ module and can be found here.
Transcripts of Gertrude Bell’s letters and diaries, and the digitised versions of Gertrude Bell’s collection of photographs can be found on our dedicated Gertrude Bell website by clicking here.
Other blog posts focussing Gertrude Bell and her archive include a post featuring a letter written in 1920 including her thoughts on the Middle Eastern political situation at the time, found here, and a longer post exploring Gertrude’s involvement in the the First World War, found here.
Of course, this year has been a bit different, and while we hope to welcome you all back to our reading room soon, in the meantime you might be interested to know you can still access our content using our Virtual Reading Room service.
However we appreciate that you might find it easier just now to work from resources which are remotely accessible, and so we wanted to highlight the following content from our collections, all of which is available online.
If you have any questions about these resources, or using Special Collections and Archives more generally, you can get in touch with us using Library Help.
Remotely Accessible Dissertation ideas #1: Gertrude Bell Archive
A group of attendees at the 1921 Cairo Conference on camels, including Gertrude Bell, Sir Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence. (GB/PERS/F/002)
Gertrude Bell was an archaeologist, explorer and diplomat in the early 20th Century. Bell initially travelled in the Middle East to support her interest in archaeology, and gained substantial knowledge of languages and Arab cultures. This led to British Intelligence asking her to support their work with her knowledge of the region and the people who lived there during the First World War. After the war, Bell continued to work in a diplomatic position, and was extremely influential in the establishment of Modern day Iraq.
Bell frequently wrote to her family at home, as well as keeping extensive diaries and taking many photographs. Copies of the photographs and transcripts of the diaries and letters are freely available on a dedicated website.
Poster advertising the Annual General Meeting of the North Shields and Tynemouth Association for Prosecuting Felons in 1816 (Broadsides 5/1/9)
‘Broadside’ is a term applied to cheaply printed, single sided sheets of paper. Often used to convey news or political opinions, they are a valuable insight into popular culture. Special Collections and Archives has a substantial collection of mostly 19th Century Broadsides, most of which are digitized and available to view and search online. The majority of them were produced here in the North East, and provide a fascinating insight into contemporary concerns and local events, but also how information was communicated. As well as electioneering ephemera and propaganda, the broadsides include reward notices for the capture of criminals, announcements of events, and entertainment in the form of comic and tragic songs, known as ‘Broadside Ballads’.
Remotely Accessible Dissertation ideas #3: Jane Loraine’s Recipe Book
A page from Jane Loraine’s Recipe Book including recipes for clotted cream and almond cream (MISC.MSS 5 pg 13)
Dating from the 1680s this manuscript (handwritten) recipe book includes recipes for food and medicinal products. The handwriting suggests multiple authors, but the majority has been attributed to Jane Loraine, a member of the Loraine family from Kirkharle, in Northumberland. The value of recipe books as sources for subjects beyond food history is still being explored, but it provides opportunities to explore subjects as diverse as gender issues (as examples of women’s writing) and empire (exploring ingredient availability).
Jane Loraine’s Recipe Book is available in full on CollectionsCaptured, but has also been adapted into a searchable digital edition which provides transcripts, contextual information and signposts wider reading.
Remotely Accessible Dissertation ideas #4: Local Illustrations
Illustration of the interior of Newcastle Central Station dating from the 19th Century. (ILL/11/240)
Our Local Illustration Collection brings together engravings and other illustrations from the 18th and 19th Century which depict landmarks and landscapes from the North East. They offer the opportunity to explore changes in the region during a period of vast technological change, but also how urban and rural landscapes were depicted. Insights into contemporary society can also be taken from the figures which appear in the images.
Remotely Accessible Dissertation ideas #5: Trevelyan Family Albums
Page from one of the albums of Charles Philips Trevelyan including photographs and ephemera collated between 1904 and 1906. (CPT/PA/3 pg. 27)
The Trevelyan family were based at Wallington Hall Northumberland, now a National Trust property. The property was donated to the Trust by Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, a Member of Parliament, Education Secretary and campaigner against Britain’s involvement in World War I. Trevelyan’s wife Mary Trevelyan (nee Bell – half-sister of Gertrude Bell), kept family photograph albums and scrapbooks from the late 19th Century until her death in 1965. They provide an insight into the life of a politically active landed family in the North East in the early 20th Century. The albums offer the opportunity to explore gender roles and childhood in the aristocracy, travel and empire (through albums depicting Charles’ ‘Grand Tour’ to North America, the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand) and the activity of collecting and memorialising family life.
Many of the photograph albums can be browsed and text searched on our Page Turners platform, and cover nearly 70 years of family life.
Front cover of When I Grow Up I Want To Be A List Of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen, published in 2019 by Bloodaxe Books. (BXB 811.6 CHE)
Newcastle University acquired the archive of Bloodaxe Books in 2013, an archive dating back to 1978 and the beginnings of this internationally important poetry publisher. The Poetics of the Archive offers innovative ways to explore digitised content from this archive. Through BOOKS, you can browse a library of Bloodaxe’s titles and a wealth of digitised poetry in process towards its final published form. WORDS uses the text of the digitized items to suggest links, whilst SHAPES allows you to view or interact with the shape poems make on the page. DATA takes you beyond this archive to discover where else Bloodaxe authors have been published. In the GALLERY and RESEARCH sections you will be able to link to new works that animate and respond creatively to the archive (interviews, films, photos, artwork, texts).
Front page of The Courier (an independent newspaper produced by Newcastle University students) published on 7th July 2014. (Courier/2014/07/07 pg. 1)
The Courier Archive is a website containing over 70 years of back issues of Newcastle University’s student paper, The Courier. All the issues are text searchable and downloadable as PDFs. They provide the opportunity to explore campus life at the University, but also to track wider social change.
The book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin was one of the first English-language children’s book to discuss male homosexuality and inadvertently played a significant role in one of the most difficult and controversial episodes in the history of the struggle for equality for LGBT people in the UK.
Written by Danish author Susanne Bösche and first published in Danish in 1981, the book was published in English in 1983 by Gay Men’s Press, intended to help reduce anti-gay prejudice and to be a resource to facilitate discussion with children about homosexuality.
Front cover of Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin (Gay Men’s Press, 1983). (Alderson (Brian) Collection, Alderson Collection BOS JEN)
Special Collections’ copy of Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin is held in the Alderson (Brian) Collection of children’s books, and demonstrates how a book may become politicised owing to its content and the context in which it is viewed, in this particular book’s case, having become a weapon in a war over the teaching of sexuality in schools.
The story describes a few days in the life of five-year-old Jenny, her father, Martin, and his partner Eric who lives with them. Jenny’s mother Karen lives nearby and often visits. It covers their various day-to-day activities, including going to the laundrette together; playing a game of lotto; preparing a surprise birthday party for Eric; and Eric and Martin having a minor argument and making up. There is also a conversation with a passer-by who expresses homophobic disgust when meeting the family in the street, the subject of a later discussion between Eric and Jenny.
P.29 of Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin (Gay Men’s Press, 1983). (Alderson (Brian) Collection, Alderson Collection BOS JEN)
That the 1980s was a time of rising negative sentiments towards homosexuality in the UK is well-documented. In 1986 a copy of Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin was made available by the Inner London Education Authority in a teachers’ centre specifically for the use of teachers who wanted to know more about gay or lesbian parents. In response to this, various national newspapers inaccurately reported that the book was being made available in school libraries.
The ensuing controversy, including the condemnation of the book’s availability by the Secretary of State for Education, resulted in fear that the book was being used as “homosexual propaganda”, and made a major contribution towards the Conservative Government’s subsequent passing of the controversial Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which forbade the promotion of homosexuality by local government and in schools in England, Wales and Scotland.
Attitudes towards sexuality and sexual minorities have shifted a great deal over the decades since the passing of Section 28, which was reviled by many far beyond the gay community itself. Now largely held to have been an unnecessary and unjust assault on civil rights, the legislation was repealed in 2003, and in 2009 the Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron apologised publicly for it.
P.32 of Jenny Lives With Eric and Martin (Gay Men’s Press, 1983). (Alderson (Brian) Collection, Alderson Collection BOS JEN)
Bösche, Susanne. Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin (Gay Men’s Press, 1983)
