This term, Ms Woodhead introduced the College Archivist, Miss Georgina Robinson, at Prayers. Miss Robinson spoke about her role and working with the College’s collections, which include fine art, furniture, rare books, and archives. She spoke about the impact the storm in September 2024 had on the archives store and expressed warm thanks to all who helped save the collections and move them to safety.
Students were interested to learn about the importance of the role of the College Archivist and her responsibility for identifying which records are vital for CLC to preserve and share. She also curates the museum we have at the end of the Marble Corridor, and the wonderful art collection that we appreciate as we walk around the school. Miss Robinson is kept very busy responding to people who are in contact to find out about members of Guild or aspects of the past with which we are associated by virtue of our history and significant former students and staff.
We also learned, very importantly, that archives can provide evidence and hold people accountable; they demonstrate what is true, and that sometimes makes them a target for disposal. As Miss Robinson mentioned, the role of the archivist is as important as ever.
The LC3 Scholars relished their time with Miss Robinson and were thrilled to be able to get up close to some real treasures from the past that we hold in the College Archives. Here’s what some had to say….
We learnt so much about the history of our school. The documentary clip about school life in the 1930s was fascinating and we had fun spotting what the rooms had become; for example we recognised Lower Hall and the stained glass in the Council Room. - Bianca
During our visit, we explored a fascinating collection of historical artefacts from our College, including exam books, registers, and legal documents that told stories of bygone eras. Each item seemed to whisper secrets of the past, capturing moments of College life long ago. We then headed over to the College museum, where more exhibits deepened our understanding of our rich heritage. Overall, the entire experience was incredibly enlightening. It not only provided us with a vivid picture of College's evolution but also sparked lively discussions about the impact of time on education and tradition. We left with a renewed sense of appreciation for our College’s intriguing past and a curiosity to learn even more about its legacy. I loved it! - Renee
My favourite part of this experience was looking at the past uniforms and seeing how they evolved over time. We also saw the plaster death mask of Dorothea Beale, which left us awestruck. - Zoey
Ms Woodhead, Head of Lower College and Wellbeing & Personal Development Coordinator
On 28th February, Upper College Academic Scholars attended a talk by Miss Robinson on the College Archives and careers in the heritage profession.
The talk explored the role and importance of archives in preserving social history, documenting legal and business records, and shaping cultural identity. It also addressed challenges such as archival silences, where marginalized voices are absent from records, and displaced archives, removed due to war or colonisation. Future concerns for archivists and researchers were discussed, including the preservation of digital records and the importance of palaeography in reading historical documents.
Students examined a selection of fascinating materials from the College’s collections, including a leaf from the 1462 Fust-Schöffer Bible, one of the earliest printed Bibles, and the 1931 Grant of Arms to Cheltenham Ladies’ College, a royal document formalising CLC’s coat of arms. They also explored CLC’s herbarium collection (c. 1900) and Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal (1737–1739), reflecting the historical role of botany in girls’ education.
Other highlights included a William Morris ‘Bird’ textile (1878), once hung around Dorothea Beale’s desk in Lower Hall, and a 1773 edition of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language, which helped standardise spelling—a challenge for students of palaeography.
The session encouraged students to reflect on what should be preserved from their own time at the school, considering what the College Archives might hold in the future about students at CLC in 2025.
Miss Robinson, College Archivist
The College Archives are always grateful for contributions that enrich the collections. Recently, we have received a photograph album belonging to Aubrey Girling (at CLC 1919-1926) and college memoirs from Rotha H. Dalton (at CLC 1921-1926) both offering valuable insight from one hundred years ago.
The family of CLC alumna Aubrey Girling visited College to generously donate her photograph album, a cherished record of her school days. Aubrey attended CLC from September 1919 to July 1926, and her album offers a fascinating glimpse into life at College during that time. It includes carefully preserved newspaper clippings of school events, as well as photographs of staff and students, all thoughtfully captioned. This remarkable album is a valuable addition to the College Archives, and we are deeply grateful for this generous donation.
Miss Robinson, College Archivist
The museum is available on weekdays as a stop on tours for new students, visiting parents, prospective families, or Guild members. Please contact robinsong@cheltladiescollege.org for visit requests.
Cookies
We'd like to set cookies to understand how you use this site. We use services such as YouTube, Flockler and Hireroad that may also use third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our Cookies Policy.
Essential Cookies
We use these for core functionality, such as storing this cookie consent preference. These are loaded automatically and cannot be disabled by the user.
Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to track visits to our website and how users interact with our website. This helps us improve the way our website works.
Personalised Advertising Cookies
We use Google Ads Conversions & Facebook Pixel to measure how you use and interact with our website and with our advertisements.
Our Partners Cookies
These cookies may be set by third party websites and do things like measure how you view videos or other content that is embedded on our site.
