Recollections of the Past, Future Nostalgia

Archive collections can spark a wide array of emotions in those who view them, especially when items have a personal connection. On placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, second year student Farhan Naqui found a surprising link to a childhood memory in the Rowntree Theatre collection, stirring thoughts on the nostalgic power of archives.

People associate and commemorate particular objects, subjects and life experiences with archives. When observing archives, these fragments connect us to the past. Going through the Joseph Rowntree Theatre collection, I found a poster that joined me with my history. This was a Tweenies event that occurred at the theatre. The poster brought many memories of my childhood and nostalgia. The Tweenies poster felt personal as the theatre archives were fascinating but disconnected from me. However, observing the archive in question made the experience of my placement personalised. I looked at the dates which weren’t on the poster. I had to use my research skills to find the year of this event. I felt a sense of my childhood come back to life as it triggered my fond memories. Archives allow an individual to recollect many past memories which they have forgotten about.

When looking around the Borthwick Institute, there’s a display of the Rowntree collections. The collections are preserved in glass cases within the building and contain old confectionary boxes, posters and archives, which are still in production to this day. When observing the collection, I was well-educated on the Rowntree Foundation. All the information was placed in a chronological order which described the history of the brand. The most exciting archive was an illustration of the Fruit Pastilles. Fruit Pastilles have evolved in a new direction as they are now vegetarian, which they were not before. I found this interesting, as Rowntree is appealing towards more audiences but still keeping the previous clientele happy. Going back to the related theme of nostalgia, I could see comparisons towards the older model to the new model. Many products have either developed from the original design or kept their authenticity. I find it fascinating that people in the current time have the ability to think further ahead of time to preserve history for the future. The reason I completed the placement is to allow future generations to be educated on the Rowntree Theatre as well as learn about the present, which will be their past. One thing I have learnt is the changes archives display within society, economics and industry. It allows businesses like the Rowntree brand to observe significant changes and trends between archives to understand what previous workers did to improve their brand.

Moving Pictures

Film is so evocative that researching old home movies can be emotional, as well as raise a whole array of questions, as Fae Godstchalk-Hart found on placement at the Yorkshire Film Archive. They share their thoughts here.

During my placement I worked in the Yorkshire Film Archives and I must say that though the work was not much different from what I was usually doing at university anyway, the experience was very enjoyable! They started of us newbies with a simple introductory course, which gave us a brief overview of what the archive was and also a little bit of the history of film. The experience was amazing on that day. On the day we learned how the first ever moving picture was made by a Frenchman in non other than Leeds! Unfortunately he went missing before he could patent his invention but the idea that films originated so close to home was more than fascinating. That was followed by examining the development of film through the years and I was very surprised to find that colour film had been around since the early 20^th century but was of course incredibly expensive. We then looked at some old film video cameras that would have likely been used for home videos. The objects that we handled there are a long way from what you would be used to today! The thought of carrying one around for more than a couple minutes alone made my arm ache. They were incredibly heavy.

The fun with the physical media didn’t stop there. We then went on to working and editing some pieces of real film reel, which really gave another meaning to the term ‘cut’. The process consisted of physically taking the film and slicing it apart with a special device and then re-taping it together with special tape. The old movie makers, and any poor editor working under Tarantino (who still uses reels of film and old cameras), must have been agonisingly time consuming which really makes you think about how far we have come as a society now. Now you can do all the film editing you want even from your phone, with just a few simple button presses.

The rest of the placement, and the actual work, consisted taking various films from the archives that had not yet been given a historic context and giving them an historic context. Most of these were of various home videos but some of the underlying topics of the videos were not only heart-warming but fascinating. My favourite two of the five I wrote contexts for were one about a man using gardening as a form of therapy after being disabled and another about fox hunting. The one about disability, labelled disability and the garden, led me down some thought-provoking research into the effects that disability can have on someone’s life, not just in physical difficulty but in mental difficulty as well. I naturally dived deeper and deeper into the topic and found that gardening is a proven form of therapy that has psychological research proving that it works in alleviating mental troubles. It has been commonly used to treat many forms of mental illness, such as depression and anxiety, and there are even charities that will help the disabled remodel their gardens so they can more easily participate. The second about fox hunting was more interesting than it was heart-warming. Foxes used to have a much lower population and the hunt for them was considered a working class form of sport. However, after the hunt was picked up by members of the upper class due to the chase being so long and thrilling, active breeding programs were put in place in order to up the fox population. In addition to this the very landscape was changed to better accommodate them just so they could be hunted. This raises a few questions about the ethics around fox hunting in the modern day most certainly, as their population problem is a direct cause of hunting! Yet hunting is often seen as the solution to the problem in many rural areas. It also raises questions about how class activities change from the rich to the poor depending on the circumstances and the timing. What else could have been affected by this sort of shift?

Personal Experience and the Weight of Cultural History

Exploring the Joseph Rowntree Theatre Archive while on placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives proved a transformative experience for second year student, Perry Cooper, as he explains here.

My time at the Borthwick Institute for Archives has been a journey of discovery and personal development. My tasks there consisted of the analysis, documentation and storage of historical data gifted to the archives by the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, which has had archival material since its opening in all the way back to 1935. As a consequence of my time there, I find myself feeling much more confident in my subjectivity, reliability and professionalism, meaning that I feel much more secure in my abilities as both a historian and a person. Moreover, being able to learn from senior archivists there also proved to be a significant boon, as I was able to fully understand what was required to become one, both in terms of qualifications and general roles. I think most important of all to me is that the archives have transformed my perception of a career with history and actually given me the physical evidence of putting it into practice, which is certainly beneficial to me in presenting history as a viable career.

Before my placement began, I had no prior experience of the proper functions of an archive, let alone how to correctly store archival information. All I knew was what an archive was there for. I think everyone, including myself, has taken a rather simplistic view on archives. They collate and catalogue data, yes. But my time at the Borthwick archives have made me realise the value of cultural preservation as I got hands-on experience in being able to document York’s complex and varied history, meaning I have a greater understanding of just how significant culture really is. Furthermore, I also realised that there is a profound sincerity to history, as every playbook and script I sorted through carried with it many tales of its past, from modest tears to coffee stains. Even a humble place like a theatre can be steeped in rich and vibrant history, which is something I’m ultimately going to be much more sensitive to and aware of now because of the opportunities afforded to me by the Borthwick archives.

Overall, the Borthwick Institute for Archives has allowed me to feel more confident in my own personal abilities, as well as given me an empirical experience in the field of archival work, which has immensely helped in my choice of prospective careers. However, as a historian, the archives have also shown me the strong ties between culture and history that demand its preservation, as even the most insignificant cultural artefact contains a veritable wellspring of lived history.

Films, Fact-finding and Future Paths

Researching films at the Yorkshire Film Archive has been an enriching experience for second year student, Freya Rickards, both in terms of using historical skills and thinking about future careers. Here, she highlights her approach to writing context pieces for this special film collection.

For my History, Community and Culture module, I completed a placement at the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive to assist with their Nature Matters project, which looks at changes in the environment and local landscape throughout the 20th century. In my work I researched various films that were being used within the project and created a summary of the context and history behind each film, allowing for a better understanding of the films themselves as well as how they relate to the project. I was extremely happy to get a place on this placement, as being a History and American Studies student, I spend a lot of time studying film, and have therefore gained a great appreciation for all types of film, especially those that can reflect changes throughout history. The placement has also been a great help in my future career decision, as I had previously never thought of working in an archive, but now I am strongly considering it as a career path once I graduate.

I have completed six contextual pieces for my placement, with each focusing on a different film within the Nature Matters project. Choosing which film to research was quite simple, I read through the list of available films and chose six that appealed to me the most, whether it be due to the film’s content, the history behind the film, or simply the way the film visually looked. Once my films were chosen, I rewatched them and researched the history of the main theme of the film, for example a city, a social movement, or a place of interest. Once I had written a few paragraphs on the historical context of the chosen film, I submitted them to the archive for feedback, and then I made the appropriate revisions to the contextual piece if needed to endure that the contextual piece is of a good enough quality for the archive.

Overall, I have very much enjoyed my time at the archive. Learning about the history of film has been fascinating, and being able to handle old film cameras from the beginning of the 20th century has been amazing. Another highlight has been the opportunity for us on the placement to use a Steenbeck machine to show how film tapes are viewed. The placement has truly been a great opportunity and I am glad I have had the privilege to contribute towards the Nature Matters project.

Chocolate, Community and Conflict: Exploring the Rowntree Archive

The history of Rowntrees is famous across York and beyond not just for chocolate and confectionary, but also the work to alleviate poverty and develop community in the early 20^th century.  Second year student, Catherine Gallagher, had the opportunity to delve into the Rowntree archive while on placement at the Borthwick Institute for Archives, focusing particularly on the period of the Second World War. She shares her thoughts here.

The Rowntree company is well known for chocolate and the company’s factories, especially in York. However, the Rowntree family were not ordinary factory owners, as they built an entire community, including housing and even a theatre. The priority of these developments, such as the building of New Earswick, was to create a community with better housing and local facilities. This sense of community continued even throughout the war.

When researching the theatre collection during my placement, one thing that stood out was that plays still took place throughout the war – one of the ways people tried to keep up morale. As well as the theatre, Rowntrees also helped the community with sports clubs for men and women. They often did this for men so that they would be fit for the army, and the image from the archive collection below is an example of a men’s rugby club and the results of the match. 

Results were often published in the Rowntree company newspaper, the Cocoa Works Magazine. This was one of the documents I studied during my placement, while researching the Rowntree company’s involvement in the war and the sense of community the company created. This magazine not only spoke about local sporting events and games but also had letters from soldiers on the front lines talking about their experiences. They would often mention women working in the factories.

An article about a women’s club.

The company also advertised volunteer work or opportunities for the less fortunate. An example of this would be when mothers with young children who needed to work could drop their children off at the newly created day-care, so they could pick up on more wartime work. This further highlights how the Rowntree company acted to create a sense of community during World War II, reporting their work and events through their magazine, again helping to keep morale high and spread awareness of extra support for the less fortunate.

This article is about a practice should there be a bomb raid  during work hours at one of the factories.

I enjoyed the time I spent on this project as I thoroughly enjoyed looking through the sources about the Rowntree theatre and the Rowntree legacy. I especially enjoyed learning about the company’s war effort, as studying the Second World War is one of my favourite subjects.  Overall, thanks to this project, I have learnt so much about York’s part in the Second World War and its community, especially that the Rowntree company played a more significant role than I had expected.

Reflecting on the Value and Nature of Public History

Second-year HCC student Caitlin Finn discusses one of the key themes of the module – the values of public history, particularly in light of remembrance and visual monuments.

Public history surrounds us every day. Nearly every village, town and city have monuments, statues and plaques, as well as museums or heritage sites such as stately homes, castles or ruins, and archaeological sites, some of which may well be passed unnoticed as people go about their day. 

These monuments and places provide us with a clear insight into our history, often giving us the opportunity to remember and commemorate some of the most prominent historical events. For example, the now preserved and protected sites of former Nazi Concentration Camps, such as Auschwitz in Poland, remind and inform us of the horrors of The Holocaust, giving the victims the chance to have their story told and ensuring that the world will remember them and learn from this terrible time. Examples of public history such as this keep us in touch with important events from the past regardless of how uncomfortable that may make us feel.

Ground Zero, New York

Another example of public history is Ground Zero. Following the 9/11 attacks, the former site of the World Trade Centre became one of the world’s most famous memorials: “a cemetery in effect”. After the attacks, the area was deliberately not redeveloped and instead left cleared, with just the original tower foundation footings the only remaining parts of the original structure, left as a memorial to the victims. In spirit, the site now it belongs to the people of New York and all the people of the world who were affected on that day, and it exists as a constant reminder to the public of the deadliest terrorist attack to date of the 21st century. 

More recently, the Bristol monument of Edward Colston was toppled, pulled, and defaced from its plinth and thrown into Bristol Harbour by demonstrators supporting the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Regarded by some as vandalism, the protesters justified their actions, highlighting Colston’s involvement in the slave trade, that trade that made him a rich man. Public support the protesters received was overwhelming, clearly a reflection of the ethics and beliefs of people today, in stark contrast to the time, in 1895, when Colston was considered deserving of a public monument in his honour. Colston’s now infamous statue recently became the subject of a public survey to discover where people felt it should be kept, following its recovery from the Bristol Channel. Some believe it should become a museum piece, displayed as a reminder of and memorial to all those so cruelly enslaved and an acknowledgement of our nation’s complicity in the Slave Trade. People are happy to own and admit to mistakes and misdemeanours of the past as long as those mistakes are acknowledged today and can be used for human growth and improvement and as evidence that society has changed. 

The story of what happened to Colston’s statue is more significant and important than Colston could ever have been. His status as a slave trader and the destruction of his statue is now the story that defines him. It is another story that exemplifies the evolutionary nature of public history. It cannot be denied that history is unchangeable, but it is human nature to question and challenge interpretation and opinion from the past. Public history gives us the tools we need to engage with the past. 

Further reading list:

Burch-Brown, Joanna M., The Colston Statue: What Next? (2021),<https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/the-colston-statue-what-next&gt; [accessed 15 January 2022] 

Silverman, Helaine, ‘Learning from Ground Zero: The Presence of Absence at Two Sites of Destruction’, The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues (2020), pp.187-201, <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-51316-0_12#citeas&gt; [accessed 18 January 2022] 

To Preserve Authenticity, The Conservation of Two Blocks at the Former KL Auschwitz I, (Oświęcimiu, Poland: Państwowe Museum, 2013) 

Working with Careers for a bright future

As part of our History, Community and Culture module, second-year students work closely with our brilliant Careers team to enhance their employability. Here, Kian Salmon reflects on the experience.

Week 2 of History, Community and Culture was very enlightening as a presentation into the value of self awareness both to employers and to yourself, in particular the section on self-awareness mind mapping. This was exceptionally useful in forming a skills section of my CV, with the ability to really break down what skills and abilities my previous employment and projects in education have given me.

The goals section of the presentation has aided me in setting myself achievable goals in the present which will aid me in the less immediate goals in the near and far futures. The ability to set short term and easier goals makes working towards a future career feel a lot more do-able rather than a distance and unlikely goal. Therefore, it promotes a more active approach towards goals of all size and distances.

The work sheets handed out during week three’s seminar were very informative in identifying the areas needed to work on to increase our employability, enhance the way we reflect on both our positives and negatives, and was a general good insight into what needs to be improved and/or changed. The slide on anti-values in the presentation was a particularly good way to evaluate both things I would need to work around in a work place and a way to evaluate what work place matters and responsibilities I would avoid. This is useful because it helps determine which jobs are most suitable for me and helps filter out which jobs would not fit me, overall a massive aid in determining which career path would be the best for me post-graduation.

To build off of the previous point, the FLOURISH acronym aided the values and anti-values slides in determining what works and what doesn’t. It made me think about travel to a work place, it made me think about my flexibility in a few aspects, such as would I move for the job, what kind of pay would influence me to do so, as well as what energises me during the work or study experiences, directing me to use that more to get the most out of the work I take.

One of the most useful parts of the presentation was the promotion of looking at what I could do with my degree. I very much thought there was little to do with a history degree outside of things such as teaching and planned to take any job that simply requires a degree; this made me reconsider that attitude towards work.

Though the content did not help much in regards to a placement (though this was very much out of the hands any careers advice or presentations) it very much helped out in the grander scheme of larger goals post-graduation, the presentation and materials we used during were informative and helpful in expanding self-perceptions both in helping identify the employable qualities and skills we have as well as the ones we may want to develop. 

Independence and interest: Improving skills and learning with the Yorkshire Film Archive

Second-year student Kama Clifford reflects here on their placement with the Yorkshire Film Archive, and what it’s brought to their skills as a researcher and historian.

My placement at the Yorkshire Film Archives has taught me a lot about myself, my work and, of course, the archives themselves. I’ve found it to be a brilliant opportunity that’s given me insight into my future. But I have three favourite things about my placement.

Firstly, the independence of it all. I’m a very independent person so being able to choose what film I contextualised, and just the general lack of pressure from the archive has been brilliant. The archive leaves you to it and that’s the best part; you feel like it’s all yours and like you aren’t being babysat. Of course, they’re always there if you have a question or need some direction, but the overall independence of the placement has been amazing.

Secondly, I’ve learnt so much from the archives. As a part of their People and Nature collection I watched some films on the relationships between people and nature, I then realised how much humanity views nature as a commodity; from animal testing to zoos and even to agricultural shows. Humanity views nature as something to monetise and this can be seen through the films and the entire collection the archives hold.

Lastly, the placement has helped me refine my research skills. At the beginning of placement my notes on the films were very long and I was finding it difficult to decide what information was important and relevant. However, throughout the course of the placement I began to find my way and realised how to find the most important and relevant information on what I was researching. This is going to be a big blessing when it comes to assignments in the future as I will be able to take what I’ve learnt and reuse it again and again. I also particularly enjoyed bringing the information up to date, for example, if I was writing about the first National Food Kitchen in York, I would discuss the context behind why it was set up and at the end of the context I brought it up to date by discussing the increase in food banks over the last ten years. 

This placement has also helped me learn lots about the archival and film industry, for example our introductory session taught us how film began and how the technology developed over the years, by showing us old films and the technology used. Another part of our introduction was a tour and explanation of the archives, we were shown the vaults in which the films are stored, and we were given an explanation of the formation of the archives. 

A fascinating public exhibition from the National Railway Museum archives

As part of our ongoing series about work placements and public history, second-year HCC student Jack Leather reflects on one of his favourite memories of his time with the National Railway Museum.

During my time on placement at the National Railway Museum there was one exhibit on display that continually caught my attention and has made me interested about the First World War from a different angle I had not considered before. This exhibit was about hospital trains and their usage throughout the First World War in transporting soldiers all across Britain when they had to come home for treatment. 

I found the exhibit fascinating. Firstly, in the respect of what I was able to learn about ambulance trains. Secondly, now with the knowledge of how much work goes into maintaining archives, I have been able to gain such a level of respect for the industry in how the museum was able to put together such a thought-provoking exhibit. 

The exhibit itself consisted of a train carriage which had been re-purposed by the team at the museum to look and show to visitors what an ambulance train during the First World War was like, this ultimately made the exhibit immersive and full credit has to go to the team at the museum for creating such an authentic carriage. Also, on the walls surrounding the carriage was a range of statistics, diary entries, letters, etc. These all helped to explain the importance of ambulance trains during the First World War, not just on a scale in numbers, but also at a personal level with diary entries showing how greatly some soldiers appreciated the treatment they received whilst aboard these trains. 

Whilst my placement was solely focused on working in the archives at the museum, I still got a chance to take in everything the museum does and to appreciate how much work goes into each and everyone of their displays. Without the work of archives and museums I don’t believe that I would have been able to find out about such interesting parts of history that I would never have considered before. Personally, I have always been interested in the First World War but this sort of exhibit has allowed me to be able to learn more about the impact of the war at home and on a personal level through the soldiers and their experiences. 

What interests me even more is knowing that there are so many more parts of history that most people are probably unaware of, such as the ambulance trains, that are just waiting to be uncovered. This thought is something that ultimately drives me in why I enjoy history so much, the thought of finding out something completely unseen before and being the first person to do so. In my opinion, I fell that is what makes working in history so fascinating. 

Unfortunately, the exhibit was taken down during my last week on placement at the museum but I am sure I will be going back at some point to visit and learn about whichever part of history they choose to uncover next. 

Challenges to the Education System in 2021-2022

As part of our History, Community and Culture module, second-year students are encouraged to reflect on the current issues facing their prospective career sectors and industries. Here, William Cox writes a think piece about the challenges facing the education system.

I have been doing research on the education sector as this is a possible area of work that I may pursue after university. One piece of research that I came across is the challenges that the education sector is facing at this current moment in time.

One problem being Covid-19; this has impacted teachers and students alike in the last 2 years whether this be at primary school level or university level. One of the main problems being that all teaching has been online at some point in the last 2 years, so that the teacher-student relationship has been strained as students have been forced to attend school from their homes. This creates the problem of some students not having access to the internet or the technology needed to engage in online lesson which means that they are not getting the full education that they need. Another challenge Covid-19 has bought is that there is a lack of interaction between teacher and student which will affect a student’s learning as they do not get the same support as they would do if they could go and see their teacher in school to ask about problems.

Another challenge the education sector is facing is that post-graduate university students are finding it harder to find jobs in the specific area that they want to go into. This is leading to more students deciding to take apprenticeships. This would mean that they are learning on the job whilst getting paid without picking up any loans to pay back, leading to apprenticeships becoming more favourable and leading to certain sectors of work lacking staff such as doctors, teachers etc.

Another issue that the education sector is facing is that the government keep cutting the budget to the education sector. This is leading to schools becoming underfunded leading to either not enough learning resources for students or schools being forced to downsize their staff. This has led to teachers taking on further responsibilities adding to their ever-growing workload which intern would make going into teaching look less appeasing. This shortage of staff alongside an ever-growing student population is causing a real issue and outcry for more teachers.

Another challenge the education sector is facing is the lack of qualified teachers for subjects such as maths, English etc are being enticed into jobs that offer more money. The lack of access to technology is also a problem as students are having to share computers to do work and teachers are asking for more training to get the full use out of the technology available to them. This has been an issue due to budget cuts by the government in recent years and the affect that Covid-19 has had on the economy. It is hard for the government to give schools more money to update theIR technology, this causes students to be at a disadvantage using out of date technology which could be unreliable or not up to the standard of technology that you would find at the workplace.