Goldsmiths History Project

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Twenty Goldsmiths’ history short stories you may or may not know about- Part One: 1-20

Goldsmiths’ main building entrance. Image: Tim Crook

Goldsmiths’ historian Professor Tim Crook relates twenty short stories about the university’s history you may or may not know about in four sentence narratives.

This is Part One- many more to follow… perhaps until we get to 1,000.

1.Black Magic and Goldsmiths

If you are inclined to give any kind of Goldsmiths-themed present to anyone, you might consider ‘Black Magic’.

The iconic box of chocolates brand was designed for Rowntrees by Goldsmiths Art School alumnus William Larkins in 1933 while working as Director for Display for the global advertising agency J Walter Thompson.

The ‘Black’ referred to the dark chocolate and the ‘Magic’ to the idea that this affordable version of what at the time was usually an expensive luxury present was the most romantic gift anyone could give to a loved one.

Larkins (1901-74) would go on to be Art Editor for Reader’s Digest and Nestlé now own the ‘Black Magic’ brand and have retained much of the original design.

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Goldsmiths’ College Green looking toward Blomfield block rear of main building. Image: Tim Crook

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The Great Hall of University of London, Goldsmiths’ College filled with flowers, ferns and palms for the Opening Ceremony Friday 29th September 1905. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections.

It was Friday 29th September 1905. A total of 249 of the first teacher training students had arrived the day before.

149 Arts School students and 1,612 Science, Engineering and Building Trades students had started their academic year at the beginning of the week on Monday 25th September.

Many of them were packing the floor and balconies of The Great Hall which had been adorned with palm plants, ferns, flowers and bunting.

Margaret Carter L.R.A.M. A.R.C.M, the Training Department’s new ‘Directrice of Music’, had finished days of rehearsing the eleven pieces of classical music she would be playing on the magnificent Art Nouveau organ commissioned and built by the City of London Goldsmiths’ Company for the previous Technical and Recreative Institute in 1891.

She was to perform a beautiful recital for a spectacular late afternoon ceremony when the Goldsmiths’ Company of the City of London handed over a golden key to the University of London.

It was the key to the building and grounds that over 17 years they had developed for community and working class education and it was their gift to what was then the fastest growing and most pioneering British University.

The grateful Chancellor of London University was the witty and charismatic Liberal politician, Lord Rosebery, known as the Oscar Wilde of politics, who would present an entertaining and inspirational speech which would have the aisles rocking in laughter and the hearts and minds of every one present full of hope and aspiration for their futures and that of Higher Education in this part of London.

The first men staff of the Training Department of the new University of London, Goldsmiths’ College, opening its doors to the first students in September 1905. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections.

A group of the first men staff for the new Goldsmiths’ College opening in September 1905 was photographed at one of the entrances to the main building.

This looks like the front entrance reserved for men students and their corridor running down the north east side of what is now the Richard Hoggart main building.

They were recruited to teach for the new University of London, Goldsmiths’ College Training Department which was set up to run a two year programme to educate and train teachers for Elementary and Secondary schools throughout England and Wales.

Those in the back row standing from left to right are: T Bishop (Gymnastic Instructor), Joseph Kay B.Sc (Lecturer in Manual Work and Mathematics), William Loring M.A. (Warden), John Frederick Unstead M.A. (Lecturer in Geography), and George Allworth (Manual Instructor).

Those in the front row sitting down left to right are: Edward Fitzgerald B.Sc. (Lecturer in Mathematics), Dr. Arthur Lapworth D.Sc. (Also Secretary, Science Department, Lecturer in Chemistry for Evening Classes as well as Lecturer for Training Department), Thomas Raymont M.A. (Vice Principal for men and lecturer in education practice and method) Ivor B John M.A. (Lecturer in English), and Douglas Lloyd Savory M.A. (Lecturer in Modern Languages).

The first women staff the Training Department of the new University of London, Goldsmiths’ College opening its doors to its first students in September 1905. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections.

A group of the first women staff for the new Goldsmiths’ College opening in September 1905 were photographed at one of the entrances to the main building.

This looks like the front entrance reserved for women students and their corridor running down the south west side of what is now the Richard Hoggart main building.

They were recruited to teach on the new two year programme to educate and train teachers for Elementary and Secondary schools throughout England and Wales.

Those in the back row from left to right were: Miss Catherine Anne Kemp (Teacher in Cookery and Needlework), Miss Julia Helena Andrew (Gymnastic Instructor), Miss Elizabeth Greene (Lecturer in Mathematics), Miss Elizabeth Hildersley (Lecturer in Drawing), and Miss Nancy Margaret Catty MA (Lecturer in English).

Those in the front row from left to right were: Miss Florence Hornby Birley (Lecturer in Modern Languages), Miss Ethel Howard Spalding (Lecturer in history), Miss Caroline Cassandra Graveson B.A. (Vice-Principal of the Training Department for Women and Lecturer in Method in Education), Miss Florence Emma Strudwick (Lecturer in Science and Natural Science) and Miss Josephine Laidler M.A. (Lecturer in English).

Goldsmiths’ College Training Department staff -men and women together in 1907 in front one of the entrances to the main building. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections. By the second year there had been several more staff appointments. The 15 women and 15 men are equal in number in this photograph. Their pay appeared to be generally equal in ‘Delegacy’ management minutes, though surviving personnel papers indicate male lecturers were on higher rates of salary. Differences can also be explained by the extent of prior experience, responsibility and level of academic qualifications.

In the early years, conscientious lecturers would take careful notes at the staff meetings and write up the minutes in neat handwriting for a book which has survived 120 years and been properly archived in Goldsmiths Special Collections.

What did the first staff talk about? Well their students of course. How well they were getting on, or not.

The first staff meeting on 6th November 1905 reported first impressions that were not very encouraging- ‘very unintelligent’, feeling ‘overworked’, ‘very low second class’, ‘express themselves very badly and are very inaccurate’, ‘unable to take proper notes, very ignorant of present conditions.’

Discipline and timekeeping were problems, though there was sympathy for students finding themselves in a history lecture instead of geography and not knowing the difference. It was a large and complicated building with a layout of rooms and floors which defied logic.

And the clocks were often wrong, largely because there were so many of them and in the Edwardian Age, unlike the present when accurate and coherent time control is possible through radio signals from atomic clocks which automatically synchronise.

In 1905, the College Porter had to do all the clock winding and setting; not an easy job when there were scores of them; often only accessible by ladder.

Were the staff concerns that much different from today? The talk then was about standards and student feedback and representation and the best way of setting assessments- in those days through exams; though coursework and exhibition was like today a key methodology.

University of London, Goldsmiths’ College 1905 to1907 in Lewisham Way. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections. Noticeboards on the outer wall post news and advertise day and evening courses in Art, Engineering, Science and Building Trades.

Goldsmiths as a University body first opened its doors to students 120 years ago in September 1905.

That was the year when the first staff were recruited. Its first chief executive with the title of ‘Warden’, William Loring, was appointed on April Fools’ Day- 1st April of that year.

Goldsmiths’ College was certainly no joke and neither was William Loring.

Photographic portrait of William Loring at the time of his appointment as Warden of Goldsmiths’ College in 1905. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections.

Goldsmiths appointed a clergyman’s son, King’s Scholar at Eton, First Class in both parts of the Classical Tripos at Cambridge University, Fellow of King’s College Cambridge, Director of Education for West Riding, decorated and wounded soldier from the South African War with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery, archaeologist, qualified barrister, somebody fluent in modern Greek, and a sharpshooter on the firing range.

To use modern parlance, ‘You did not mess with Mr Loring.’ Goldsmiths’ Archives and Special Collections has his handwritten application and curriculum vitae in copper-plate fountain pen script.

It runs to ten pages including accurate copying of glowing references.

Page 1 of William Loring’s handwritten application for the position of Warden of Goldsmiths’ College. He gives his address as 2 Hare Court in the Temple- the address of the chambers where he was a qualified barrister. Image: Goldsmiths Special Collections.

1905 was the year when the first academic course began.

It was set up to run for two years to train and educate ‘Certificated Teachers.’

The burgeoning state education sector had a desperate need for Elementary and Secondary school teachers.

The first Vice Principal in charge of women, Caroline Graveson said:

‘We were the first Two-Year Training College to be owned and governed by a University. It gave all of us, down to the youngest students, a sense of dignity and space to grow, a noblesse oblige to live up to.’

Those clichés about being run ‘on a wing and a prayer’, ‘flying by the seat of their pants’, and ‘improvised chaos’ or even ‘a chaos of improvisation’ were rather apt.

The academic staff recruited to teach the students had not been appointed until the very month the students arrived to be taught.

Loring was a leader in education, but not an educationalist. Two leading academic experts in the practice and method of Education- Caroline Graveson and Thomas Raymont, as respective Vice-Principals for women and men, did not arrive until September.

They had less than a fortnight to draw up the timetable, formulate and agree the syllabus. The students had been largely recruited by the County Councils of Kent, London, Middlesex, and Surrey and the County Borough Council of Croydon.

Local authorities in other parts of the country; particularly Wales, were also sending student teachers to be trained in New Cross.

They were picked on the basis of academic achievement, prior experience of working as ‘pupil teachers’ in schools already from the age of 13, and also as proud emblems and representatives of their areas.

Goldsmiths History Project

Primary page content

Twenty Goldsmiths’ history short stories you may or may not know about- Part One: 1-20

University of London, Goldsmiths’ College- the Opening Ceremony in the Great Hall 29th September 1905

Goldsmiths- The First Men Staff 1905

Goldsmiths- The First Women Staff 1905

Goldsmiths’ 120 year anniversary- 1905 when it first opened its doors to students