Take a trip down memory lane...

The public are invited to take a trip down memory lane this afternoon and evening, when the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Swansea hosts an archive exhibition focusing on its Mount Pleasant campus.Everyone is invited to attend the event, which is open between 4pm and 8pm.

The archive exhibition will explore the history of the campus through the University's numerous archive materials. It will show some of the history of the Technical College, the first ten years of West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education and a brief summary of the Mount Pleasant campus. West Glamorgan Institute became Swansea Institute of Higher Education in 1992 and Swansea Metropolitan University in 2008. In 2012, the University merged with UWTSD.

A call is also being made for any new contributions to the University's archive. Those with items relating to the campus are invited to bring them to the Open Day.

The University's Mount Pleasant campus has a long history dating back to 1890 when the Swansea Education Committee adopted the Technical Instruction Act of 1889. From the start, the Swansea Technical College was very closely associated with the Swansea Grammar School, sharing premises on Mount Pleasant until the school relocated to a new site in Sketty in April 1951.

The Technical College continued to operate at the Mount Pleasant site and, over a number of decades, the campus developed further with new buildings to meet the needs of increasing student numbers. In 1976, Swansea College of Technology (as it was named then) merged with Swansea College of Art and Swansea Education College to form West Glamorgan Institute of Higher Education.

University Archivist Gill Fildes said: "This event is open to everyone. The Archive team would also welcome new contributions to the University collections, so dig out any items you have kept that relate to the Mount Pleasant campus, or the College of Technology, and bring them along with you."

Archive open day - Thursday 5th September!

Tomorrow, the University is holding its third Archive Open day, this time at our Mount Pleasant campus. The exhibition will give a brief history of the Technical College and the first 10 years of West Glamorgan Institute, as well as the history of the Mount Pleasant site, and have some of the archive collection on show.

 

The event is running between 10.30am and 4.30pm on the top floor of the Owen Library at Mount Pleasant. It is open to the public as well as all University staff and students - everyone is most welcome to call in anytime between the above times! 

Step back in time with the National Archives

Are you a history teacher, history student or history buff? If so, you might be interested in the National Archives website, and especially in the Education section. It’s filled to the brim with lessons, topics, podcasts, film clips and resources for video conferences and virtual classroom sessions. There are primary and secondary resources for historical periods from 1066 until the present day and there is lesson material appropriate for key stages 1 to 5. You’re bound to find something useful no matter which age group you’re teaching or what topic you’re covering.

The National Archives website is well worth a look even if you’re not in the business of history education. It’s full of interesting stories and fascinating resources! At the moment, for instance, the Education section is featuring ‘Cats, mice and votes for women’, which uses newspaper reports and other contemporary documents to look at the tactics used by the suffragettes and the police during the suffrage movement.

The National Archives homepage is a gateway to all sorts of information, from family history to newly released documents that shed light on the workings of government and the secret service. Go on, have a look!