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BALH GUIDED VISITS Visits are arranged to places of interest to local historians, often not easily accessible to individuals. See EVENTS page for current programme. MEMBERSHIP Click Here to become a member of the BALH ACCESSIBILITY How to make this site easier to use. Search The Site advanced search		The Local Historian Volume 33, Number 2 - May 2003
		Contents	[ Close all Abstracts ]		Current issue
		The Historical Manuscripts Commission: past achievements and future goals By: CHRISTOPHER KITCHING [ Read Abstract ] The Historical Manuscripts Commission [HMC'>more..., which was established in 1869, was amalgamated with the Public Record Office in April 2003 and the combined organisation was rechristened The National Archives. In this article Dr Kitching, the secretary of the HMC since 1992, briefly traces its history but concentrates on the evolution of its remit, extending widely in the field of advisory and supporting roles for archive services in the United Kingdom, and serving as an honest broker in many dealings between, for example, the public and private sectors. He shows how governments over the period 1869-2003 have treated the HMC in particular and archives in general, and emphasises how the changing political, social and financial context since the 1960s has impacted upon the HMC and archives. The article serves as a valedictory for a body which has done sterling work on a shoestring budget for over 130 years, and also anticipates the future role of the successor organisation within the National Archives framework. The National Fairground Archive: its origins, developments and holdings By: VANESSA TOULMIN [ Read Abstract ] The National Fairground Archive is based at the University of Sheffield and was formally established in 1994. In this article its founder and research director describes the genesis and development of the archive and discusses its holdings. She emphasises the wide-ranging nature of the collecting policy, which includes important material from showmen and travelling show families, and an extensive collection of circus material. The archive is the most important in Britain dealing with this key area of 19th and 20th century entertainment, but it has a strong philosophy which seeks to record and preserve the records of the people and families involved. The archive includes documentary, printed, and published material, very large holdings of photographs and other illustrative material, newspapers, ephemera, audio and video recordings and many special collections from well-known families such as the Smarts. The article describes the potential offered by the collection for local and other historians, and gives full details of how to contact the archive and the services which it offers. Sick and convalescent visitors in a Victorian seaside resort: Weston-super-Mare By: PHILIP S BROWN AND DOROTHY N BROWN [ Read Abstract ] The article discusses a major, but little documented, aspect of the history of seaside resorts. Using Weston-super-Mare as a case study it considers the reality of the common belief that such places were healthy, and investigates the circumstances of those who came to seek cures or to convalesce. Public health returns for Weston show that in the 1890s about 20 visitors per year died, but deaths among visitors differed from those in residents, being commoner during the summer and less common among the young and elderly. This probably reflects the age distribution of visitors generally and their seasonal increase. But a higher proportion of visitors died of infectious diseases, especially pulmonary tuberculosis. Sick visitors recorded in the prescription books of an apparently fashionable pharmacy were identified using lists of visitors published in the newspapers. A half-year sample in 1877, for example, showed 179 visitors receiving medicines and lodging at 89 different addresses. Many others using the pharmacy were recognisable from directories as socially prominent. The doctors supplying the prescriptions appeared to be a professional elite, treating fashionable visitors and affluent residents. Limited comparisons with other Somerset towns support the suggestion that Weston's medical practitioners were particularly numerous and well qualified. Socially distinct from the affluent visitors were the convalescents, up to 2000 a year, sent to the charitably supported West of England Sanatorium. Unmarried female domestic servants were particularly frequent as patients, but a considerable social spread was ensured by variable contributions required from patients towards their maintenance. Weston, like many seaside resorts, also had smaller specialised convalescent homes. Bankside power station: planning, politics and pollution By: STEPHEN MURRAY [ Read Abstract ] This article is a case study of the building of one of London's most famous - and in its day most controversial - architectural landmarks, the Bankside power station in Southwark which stands directly opposite St Paul's cathedral and is now better known as 'Tate Modern'. It was constructed in the early 1950s as a result of the 1947 power and fuel crisis - the government determined not to let this near-catastrophe happen again. Claims of essential national interest and urgency were used to justify the construction of a massive building in the heart of the capital, despite the fierce opposition of most local people and organisations. The power station was designed by the architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. After it had opened and was producing electricity the controversy switched to the pollution and other environmental problems that it created. The article describes the political and planning manoeuvres that were involved in the development of the power station, and the arguments and solutions (or non-solutions) to atmospheric and water pollution. The station closed in 1981, after a thirty year useful life, and there was fierce public opposition to the possibility of its demolition. The ugly eyesore of the early 1950s had become a classic architectural monument within three decades. As a result the building was saved and it has since become the Tate Modern art gallery, a major tourist attraction and a key element in the physical regeneration of the Southwark riverside. The article points to the remarkable switch in public and private aesthetic taste which this represents. Gerard Manley Hopkins and the Lancashire connection By: PAMELA RUSSELL [ Read Abstract ] The Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins was a Catholic priest, who spent considerable lengths of time working in Lancashire. Although he is not usually considered to be a 'nature poet' the landscape of the county, and his experiences of poor working class communities, inspired contrasting emotions which are reflected in some of his poems and prose writings. This article looks at Hopkins' perceptions of the beautiful rural scenery of the Ribble Valley and the Hodder Valley around the great Jesuit school at Stonyhurst, and compares and contrasts these with his response to Leigh and the Everton area of Liverpool. In the industrial town of Leigh in south Lancashire he, unexpectedly, found happiness and some contentment, whereas he loathed Everton and was very miserable there. The only enjoyment in his Everton period was found in regular visits to a Catholic family at Lydiate, in semi-rural south-west Lancashire a few miles from the city. His letters and verse draw upon those brief periods of 'release' from the uncongenial atmosphere which he found in Liverpool. The article suggests that while literary historians and commentators should pay more attention to local history in developing their understanding of the minds of writers, poets and artists, local historians could usefully derive much benefit in their work from studying literary descriptions. Reviews Recent Publications in local history
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