Lower High Street Blog Posts

New Exhibitions on Display for the Centre

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

We’re excited to announce that the work of our students will be on display for the next few months as part of two exciting exhibitions.

Fashions & Textiles: A Gloucester Story

These panels exploring the history of Gloucestershire’s textile industry are on display at the Museum of Gloucester as part of the broader exhibition ‘Buttons, Badges and Blazers.’ This larger exhibition has been curated from the city’s costume collection of over 4,500 items, not previously on display to the public.

The exhibition runs from 21st October 2023 to 7th January 2024. For more details see The Museum of Gloucester website.

The 28th Regiment of Foot & The West Indian Campaign in The Seven Years’ War

History students have collaborated with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum in a groundbreaking study of the military roles of enslaved and free Black men during an 18th global conflict, investigating the involvement of soldiers from Gloucestershire in military campaigns in the West Indies during the Seven Years War (1756–1763).

The research examined how enslaved and free Black men were employed by the Gloucestershire Regiment during the conflict, shedding new light on what until now had been an underexplored element of the Glosters’ history. The study also examined the life of Ukawsaw Gronniosaw – also known as James Albert – who is believed to be the first person from an ethic minority to serve with the regiment and the first person to write a narrative of his experiences of transatlantic slavery.

The collaborative project has informed a new exhibition at the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum entitled ‘The 28th Regiment of Foot & The West Indian Campaign in The Seven Years’ War,’ which runs from 1 November until March. The museum is open on Wednesdays to Sundays (10am to 4pm) and viewing is free with paid museum entry.

Matthew Holden, Director of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, said:

“Collaborating with University of Gloucestershire on such a forward-thinking project has been a fantastic experience. Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum are looking to expand their exhibitions and exhibits beyond that which one might expect to find in military museums. With the help of University of Gloucestershire, we are really shining a light on 360 degrees of history.”

Dr Christian O’Connell, Academic Course Leader in History at the University, said: “I’m very proud of our students and the way they’ve been able to contribute to this important project. It has been a great opportunity to develop their skills and gain some valuable experience, but most of all, they have directly contributed to shaping public knowledge on an important and very timely subject.”

Royal Jubilees in Gloucestershire

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

This is the third of four projects that undergraduate History students at the University of Gloucestershire are conducting for the Centre in 2023, in partnership with a number of local heritage institutions in the area, including City Voices. In this project, students are researching how Gloucestershire has honoured royal celebration, and how it has mourned royal tragedy. It involves students Amy Brett, Sam Elliott, Elliott Lloyd, Sam Preece, Josh Priestley, and Sam Turton.

We started with a preliminary exploration of royal events that have taken place across the UK, as well as in Gloucestershire. We started as far back as 1327, examining the brutal murder of King Edward II. While we found a large amount of information about the architecture of King Edward’s tomb at Gloucester Cathedral, we quickly realised that we could find little information about the effect the King’s death had on Gloucestershire or how the county responded to it.

King Edward II’s tomb in Gloucester Cathedral, Photograph taken by J. Priestley, 13 March 2023

We discovered that royal jubilees were not really publicly celebrated before the reign of King George III. The most memorable local celebration took place under King George V, whose silver jubilee took place in 1935. This was an important event because we have found no evidence that King George III or Queen Victoria had local silver jubilee celebrations.

Pictures from the 1935 Silver Jubilee of George V (D4920/2/3/40, Gloucestershire Archives and Heritage Hub), and an article on local celebrations in Western Daily Press – Wednesday 1 May 1935, p. 8, British Newspaper Archive.

From our research at the Gloucestershire Archives and by using the British Newspaper Archive, we discovered that some of the de-facto traditions that took place as part of jubilee celebrations in 1935 and 1977 are still evident today. One example of this tradition is from the 1935 jubilee, when bonfires or beacons were lit across the county, such as those at Northleach, Cleeve Hill and Robinswood Hill. Similarly, a formal military parade took place in Gloucester city centre, starting from Gloucester Cathedral. This tradition still takes place in Gloucestershire, but instead of the regular military it is done by local Cadet Units.

Some of our group members have visited Gloucestershire Cathedral Archive to discuss with their archivist the role the Cathedral has played in royal celebrations and commemorations. The Cathedral has a limited collection on Royal celebrations (especially in comparison with Gloucestershire Archives) because it was only in the 21st century that the Cathedral became a hub for Royal Celebrations. Two notable exceptions to this are a note added to the record of service book of a small memorial service to commemorate the death of King George VI in 1952 (no collection was taken, and there is no note of how many people attended), and the moat of flowers left at the Cathedral following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.

We intend to look more closely into local newspaper reports held in the British Newspaper Archive to explore further reports of how Gloucestershire celebrated royal events and mourned royal tragedy. We will be making more visits to Gloucestershire Archives to collect photographic materials, and we’ll also spend a research day at the Gloucester Cathedral Archive to explore their collection further and to gather data on historic and more recent royal events.

The GCHQ Trade Union Dispute

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

This report comes from second year undergraduate History & Politics student Kit Boulting-Hodge, who is conducting a research project for the Cheltenham Labour Party as part of HM5002 Engaging Humanities. It is an example of how our students can gain valuable experience and develop a number of transferrable skills, while contributing to important heritage work in the area.

I’ve been working with Cheltenham Labour Party to gather information about the campaign opposing the 1984 state-imposed ban on trade unions at GCHQ. This project was triggered by the death of the prominent figure Mike Grindley. Before his death, Mike was concerned that the lessons from this campaign, fought by 14 GCHQ workers, would be lost and the current government may try again to ban trade unions at GCHQ. Interviewing trade union activists from the time of the protest, including one of the 14, has been an enlightening experience.

The move to de-unionise GCHQ was premeditated and was initially rejected at multiple stages by various parliamentary select committees, even some dominated by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative allies. There was a court battle, which the government lost. This, however, set the precedent that the government has the power to de-unionise workplaces if due process is followed. The case cost the government huge amounts of money, but that was just the beginning.

Letter from Council of Civil Service Unions to the PM in 1984

When the government finally formulated their plan, each employee was given two options:

1: accept the money on offer as compensation to leave the trade union and have the choice to be part of the Staff Association. The Association was obviously a sham replacement that didn’t have the organisational structure of a trade union. Staff morale was incredibly low at this point, but this was the only viable way to create the impression that the workers were being represented.

2: refuse to leave the trade union and breach the new contract, which meant that the employee could be fired.

The unions, however, offered a third option: not to sign. This worried the government because most of the workers seemingly supported this option, right up until management pressed the employees for a final decision. Initially, apart from 14 workers, all employees agreed to stay at GCHQ, but many soon quit and found jobs elsewhere.

Publication by the Council of Civil Service Unions

The following years, extending through John Major’s period of office, were focused on finding a peaceful means to reverse the government’s decision. The protestors went on annual marches, and they held regular meetings to check on progress. The unions never relented. Even in my interviews that were not directly related to GCHQ, some respondents mentioned GCHQ towards the end.

The most important outcome of the dispute is that Thatcher’s government failed. Eventually, in 1997, the ban on trade union membership at GCHQ was lifted, with the exception that the parts of GCHQ dealing with secret and sensitive information were not allowed to strike. In essence, Tony Blair had agreed with the Thatcher government that hundreds of days of work had been lost because of the dispute. This infuriated most of the 14 campaigners. By this stage, the dispute had been going on for over 13 years, so it had inevitably lost some momentum.

All but one of the original 14 campaigners received the Trades Union Congress award. One of the protestors refused the award because of the continuing ban on strike action by sections of GCHQ. It is often difficult for trade unions to win their battles. The achievement at GCHQ was one of a kind.

Cheltenham and Gloucester’s Refuges for Women and Girls

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

This is the second of four projects that undergraduate History students at the University of Gloucestershire are conducting for the Centre in 2023, in partnership with a number of local heritage institutions in the area, including City Voices. This project involves students Matthew Morgan, Holly Lasfar, Tyler Tomlin, and Olivia Jordan.

Our group project focuses on the history of places of refuge and support for women and girls in Cheltenham and Gloucester. Specifically, we have studied the Home of Hope, Park Street Mission, North Parade Home for Girls, and Cheltenham Female Orphan Asylum. We are interested in researching this subject to learn about the various ways Gloucestershire aided women in need in the past. When we started the project we assumed that many of the women who sought help from these places were victims of abuse or violence, but we have since learnt that some of these places of refuge, like the Home of Hope, were places that looked to support and train girls and young women who were experiencing problems in their lives.  

Our research into the evolution of the Cheltenham School of Industry, founded in 1806, has revealed some of the provision of refuge spaces for women and girls in Cheltenham in the early nineteenth century. The School of Industry’s founder was Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. Conducting research through the examination of archival documents and numerous newspaper reports makes clear that the school remained a respected site of refuge. It was well-funded by local subscribers. Upholding religious teachings and importantly focusing on the training of girls as respectable domestic servants, the home played a significant role in ensuring that the girls were successfully engaged in employment on their departure. In honour of its founder, the school was renamed Charlotte House in the 1950s. The building was demolished in 1958.

We are also looking into a number of small refuges in Cheltenham and Gloucester, including those run on a weekly and part-time basis, such as the Park Street Mission in Gloucester. We are interested in the religious underpinnings of these women’s refuges, as well as the role of women in the official and unofficial hierarchy of these organisations. Park Street Mission is well-documented. It was a well-run refuge, which came as a surprise to us when considering the period in which these institutions existed. There appears to have been a consistent membership of the Mission, and from this we can determine the potential positive impact such refuges had on their membership. Much of the available information on the Mission derives from the organisation itself, and collecting this information means that the worthwhile story of women’s refuges can now be told. 

Another interesting aspect of these refuges was their ‘sale of work’ events. These are particularly evident in our research into the Cheltenham Female Orphan Asylum. These refuges had been set up to aid women and girls who had lost their way and who now needed support. The training provided by these organisations, and the accompanying sale of work events, enabled women to develop skills that would help them find gainful employment. The sales also generated income for the refuges themselves.

Religion played a key role in the way these refuges operated, and it is interesting to see how closely linked key members of local churches were to these organisations. This is evident in the example of the Cheltenham Female Orphan Asylum subscriber lists and from the membership of the management boards. Highlighting these important elements in our research has helped us to decide how best to convey the stories of the refuges. 

Working at The Folk of Gloucester

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

This report comes from second year undergraduate student Kelly Burriss, who is currently volunteering at The Folk of Gloucester as part of HM5002 Engaging Humanities. It is an example of how our students can gain valuable work experience and develop a number of transferrable skills, while contributing to important heritage work in the area.

I am undertaking a volunteer placement at The Folk of Gloucester, a Tudor building in the heart of the city that previously functioned as a much-loved museum showcasing the domestic lives of Gloucester residents in days gone by. The Folk has recently been restored and is going through a ‘rebirth’ which aims to celebrate the history and heritage of Gloucester, whilst also operating as a community heritage centre.

The experience has provided a great deal of insight into museum management, curating, archiving, project management, event planning and additionally, the challenges of maintaining and preserving a historic building that functions as a public space.

My placement came at a pivotal time for The Folk. Wall paintings dating back to the sixteenth century were discovered during the restoration and a project had just commenced to research, preserve and celebrate this fascinating discovery (see more about this here). I had the pleasure of working alongside Dr Andrea Kirkham, wall paintings researcher and conservator, to discover what these paintings could reveal about the history of the building, the people who lived there and displays of status in the early modern period.

16th century wall paintings discovered during the restoration

Furthermore, I have been able to take an active role in planning events at the Folk. The Folk’s aims to celebrate and commemorate folk customs and traditions align with my own personal interests and have enabled me to undertake research regarding the history of wassailing, Morris Men and the early modern ritual year. This has resulted in a blossoming interest on my part in importance of folk traditions in authenticating cultural values through illustrating their presence in the history of the community. Additionally, my research has provided insight into how certain traditions travel and are modified within localities, and I hope to be able to look at some Gloucestershire legends and myths in this context. Furthermore, the reinvention of historic traditions in contemporary settings has also sparked my interest.

Morris dancing at the Wassail

As well as providing research opportunities and insight into the management of a historical building, my placement at The Folk has brought me into contact with some truly wonderful people who share passion and enthusiasm for the city and its history, and are keen to share it. Conversations about witch bottles, lamprey pies and the Civil War have become a much-loved part of my days at the Folk and there is so much still to be discovered about this building and its inhabitants. If only walls could talk….

A pardon issued by King Charles 1 to John Deighton Snr in 1626.
Deighton owned of some of the buildings in the early 17th century and refused to join a military exhibition to Spain
Courtesy of Gloucestershire Archives ref: D381/2

In continuation of a medieval tradition, Gloucester are preparing a lamprey pie to give to King Charles III for his coronation and I had the honour of creating the decorative lettering (see below). Historically, the city of Gloucester presented the monarch with a lamprey pie at Christmas due to the rich supply found within the River Severn. The practice ended in 1836 as the price of lampreys had risen considerably but Gloucester continues to send a lamprey pie to the monarch on special occasions.

The 28th Regiment of Foot and the West Indian Campaign: Working with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

This is the first of four projects that undergraduate History students at the University of Gloucestershire are conducting for the Centre in 2023, in partnership with a number of local heritage institutions in the area, including City Voices. This project comes from a collaboration with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, and involves students Harry Britton, George Clark, Callum Earland, Thomas McManus, Jack Eastwood and Ryan Lill.

Our project is based on a collaboration with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, and examines a number of issues that relate to the history of the Gloucestershire Regiment. The project focuses in particular on three areas:

  • the 28th Gloucestershire Regiment: its origins and recruitment processes, including the recruitment of black soldiers and the legacies of their actions;
  • a profile of James Albert, also known as Ukasaw Gronniosaw, a former slave who joined the regiment during the Seven Years’ War
  • its involvement in battles of the West Indian Campaign, specifically St Lucia, Dominica and Martinique
Shako plate, 28th (The North Gloucestershire) Regiment), c. 1870 https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/28th-north-gloucestershire-regiment-foot

We have been lucky enough to visit the museum where we were given a private tour of the collections. The findings of our research will be on display there (see pictures below).

In looking at the origins of the regiment, we have reviewed a variety of sources, including books and journal articles. We used these to establish the origins of the regiment from the merger of two separate Gloucestershire regiments into the 28th Regiment in the late 17th century. We have also looked at the first battles the 28th Regiment participated in and their brave stories from Quebec (1759).

The project includes some challenging elements. We have found researching the process of recruitment particularly difficult. The lack of information and sources around this topic have made this part of the project particularly frustrating. There is some information, however, about the recruitment of black soldiers. The 28th Regiment was one of the first regiments in Britain to recruit black soldiers. Although this might seem pioneering, the recruitment was actually very controversial. The 28th Regiment recruited black soldiers purely on the basis that when they were fighting in the Caribbean in the Seven Years War (1756-1763), it was believed that these men were more accustomed to the conditions (their ‘skin was more hardy in the climate’). These factors show a process of learning and understanding from both the 28th Regiment and the increasing recruitment of black soldiers to the British military as a whole.

‘The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras’ by Elizabeth Thompson (Lady Butler) https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/technical-insights-to-elizabeth-thompson-the-28th-regiment-at-quatre-bras-1875/

Our main aim of this project is to take a fresh look at the history of the Regiment and its use of black troops and labour, and share this important history with the people of Gloucestershire and beyond. We are also very honoured to be telling the story of the brave people associated with the Regiment, and the wars they fought, such as the West Indian Campaign. We are also proud to show off our findings in the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum and we can’t wait to present our findings to the public.  

Gloucester Kindertransport: local support for refugees, yesterday and today

by CC4HH, posted in migration

This is the fourth and final project which is part of our partnership with the City Voices programme of the Gloucester History Festival. Undergraduate students in History at the University of Gloucestershire are undertaking a number of local history projects for 2022, and in this case they examine Gloucester’s role in the organized rescue of children from Nazi occupied territories in the Second World War. The project group is made up by students Yasmine Brigdale, Megan Brown, Emily Langdale, Ellie Speck, and Isabella Watkins.

Our group project focuses on the Kindertransport system in Gloucester and, more specifically, the lives of ten Jewish boys who found refuge in a hostel near the Kingsholm area during the Second World War. We chose to study this topic not only because of a key interest in our city’s historic role in aiding refugees, but also because it feels very relevant to what is going on in the world at present with the current refugee crises in places such as Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. One of the goals of our research is to present a study of the experiences of the ten boys during their time as refugees in Gloucester. We also aim to reflect on what legacy this may have left for Gloucestershire today.

We have been visiting the Gloucestershire Archives and Heritage Hub (GA) at least once a week to study the Kindertransport materials. The archival sources will form the focus of our first display panel, which will outline the start of the Kindertransport programme in Gloucester and the founding of relevant charities and committees, such as the Gloucester Association for Aiding Refugees (GAAR). It was organisations such as GAAR that were responsible for finding suitable accommodation, education and training for refugee children in Gloucester, until they were old enough to move on. We have also become familiar with some of the significant figures who played a very active role in running these organisations, including Mrs Hall. We hope to explore how these developments led to the establishment of the hostel in Alexandra Road, and what role these organisations continued to play in supporting the ten boys.

Appeal for British women to provide homes for the rescued children.

Alongside this, we have been working with staff at GA, who have helped us to access information relating to an upcoming film about the hostel. We have been put in contact with relatives of the Jewish boys and the Arnsteins. Interviews conducted with Michael Zorek, Jenney Valley and Angela Willis have provided us with a real insight into what life in the hostel was like, from leisure activities, including their attendance at a youth group in Gloucester, to how their basic necessities were met and financed. We have also learnt that their religious education and practice was still very much encouraged: a Rabbi from Birmingham came to meet with the boys. Our goal is to continue making connections with the families. Not only has this been extremely informative, but we also believe this to be a valuable element of our research. This will help to shape the middle section of our project, where we hope to build a profile of the boys during their time in Gloucester, as well as their lives after the hostel’s closure in 1942.

The final part of our project will discuss the legacy of the Kindertransport programme and what existing charities in the local area are doing today. In this part, we hope to track the importance of refugee aid for the ten boys, as well as for the many other young people in Gloucester during the Second World War, and how this is still extremely relevant to current global issues. We have been in contact with two local organisations: Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees (https://www.cheltenhamwelcomesrefugees.org.uk/) and Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS: https://www.garas.org.uk/). These have been really helpful in offering insights into the workings of the charities both historically and at present.

We are also planning to help fundraising efforts for a blue plaque to be placed outside the address on Alexandra Road in June. Any surplus money will be donated to GARAS.

Legacies of Slave Ownership in Cheltenham

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

As part of our partnership with the City Voices programme of the Gloucester History Festival, undergraduate students in History at the University of Gloucestershire are undertaking a number of local history projects for 2022. The third project examines the legacies of slave ownership in Cheltenham, extending the work conducted by students in 2021. The project group is made up by students Steve Hannis, Ben Haidon, Sam Burgess, Tom Gullick and Harvey Pearce.

In 1833 the Abolition of Slavery Act was passed in parliament, starting the slow process of the emancipation of all slaves in the British Empire. As a result of abolition, the government agreed to pay compensation to slave owners for the ‘loss of their property.’ Any slave owner who wanted to claim compensation had to apply. This process created detailed records of slave ownership in Britain. These records are the starting point of our project, which aims to examine some of the issues relating to the abolition of slavery and compensation paid to people residing in Cheltenham.

We began our project in January and began using the Legacies of British Slave Ownership database. We started by looking at various individuals living in Cheltenham who claimed substantial amounts of money under the Compensation Act. Many of these individuals left little trace of how they spent the money, bringing us to the conclusion that most of them simply lived off it. We researched various people, but many were dead ends. Then we discovered William Hinds Prescod, who moved to Cheltenham after Emancipation. The records showed that prior to abolition, Prescod was the largest slave owner in Barbados after inheriting a number of plantations from his uncle in 1815. He claimed £37,000 in compensation following the abolition of slavery, over £4,000,000 in today’s currency.

Our research so far has demonstrated the complex nature of this subject, with Prescod being a particularly complicated figure. A Cambridge educated Lawyer, Prescod freed over twenty slaves during his time in Barbados and fathered 4 children with a freed slave. One of these children was Samuel Jackman Prescod (fig 1), who became the first black politician in Barbados. Prescod also fiercely contested other claims made against his uncle’s will, claiming that his relatives intended to put their hands into his pocket. After this online research we visited Gloucestershire Archives where we managed to find proof that Prescod bought his Cheltenham estate, Alstone Lawn, for £1,200 just after he received his compensation. We found the original record for this transaction, on the document was Prescod’s signature still intact. Some further research online found that his estate eventually fell into disrepair and was burnt down by suffragettes in 1913.

Samuel Jackman Prescod on a
Barbadian bank note.

Prescod’s wealth was demonstrated by the fact that he also amassed a substantial art collection that was auctioned off by his family in 1861, 13 years after his death in 1848. A record of the auction of Prescod’s collection is held at the National Gallery. After looking through these records we found that a significant proportion of his collection was acquired on a series of trips to Italy, which means he took part in the ‘Grand Tour’ custom of his era. His collection was made up of sculptures, vases sketches and paintings, with the most notable artists being Rembrandt, Vandyke and Guido (fig 2). Our research has also revealed evidence that Prescod invested in shares in the Assembly Rooms in Cheltenham. The Assembly Rooms was a hub for the elite in Cheltenham due to its versatile nature. It was the site of art trading, theatrical productions, and political activities (which had also included debates on the abolition of slavery). The site of the Assembly Rooms is now the Everyman Theatre, giving us a potential link between Prescod’s wealth and the present day.

“The Philosopher” By Rembrandt, a
painting similar to one of the pieces owned by
Prescod.

What we have found so far is interesting, but there is a lot more to learn about Prescod. We are going to conduct further research into his investments in the local area, as well as his activity in Barbados before abolition, with the hope that we find out more about the legacies of slavery and how these may have impacted the town. We have recently found Prescod’s will, which may provide some further information. All the information we have found so far has given as a lot of leads, we are hopeful that once we have followed all of these up, we will have a clearer picture of Prescod’s story.

Abolitionism in Gloucestershire: Samuel Bowly

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

As part of our partnership with the City Voices programme of the Gloucester History Festival, undergraduate students in History at the University of Gloucestershire are undertaking a number of local history projects for 2022. In this second of four projects, students examine the local abolitionist movement, extending the work conducted by students in 2021. The project group is made up by students Jordan Rosewarne, Lydia Horwell and Callum Hughes.

In this project we are taking a closer look at the life and work of Gloucestershire abolitionist Samuel Bowly (1802-1884). In October 2017 a blue plaque was placed at Bowly’s last residence in 65 Park Road, Gloucester. However, it seems fairly safe to assume that very fee people are aware of the vibrant presence of the abolitionist movement in Gloucestershire, let alone the work of Bowly. Two projects conducted for the Cotswold Centre for History & Heritage in 2021, and exhibited at the Gloucester History Festival demonstrated an active abolitionist presence in both Cheltenham and Gloucester. Our aim is to add to knowledge on this topic by examining the work and local legacies of one of the most significant local abolitionists.

Bowly present in the famous painting by Benjamin Haydon (1840-1) of the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, 1840.
A portrait of Samuel Bowly https://brycchancarey.com/abolition/bowly.htm

Like many other abolitionists of the 18th and 19th centuries, Bowly was also a Quaker. He was born in Cirencester in 1802 and led a life strictly defined by his faith, and was devoted to aiding enslaved people across the world. He took part in major events throughout his lifetime which will be incorporated into our project, such as the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London held in 1840. This was attended by major abolitionists from both England and the United States. Alongside this, he was also the President of the National Temperance League, and worked towards drawing attention to the damaging effects of alcohol on the human body.

So far, we have been able to find some important documents from Bowly, such as a hand-written letter at Gloucestershire Archives that demonstrate his horror at the conditions on a slave ship. This document will be at the core of our project as it shows the how Bowly learned about the reality of the slave trade. We are now searching for more materials held locally that can help to shed light on the life and legacy of this man. We will also be examining the interweaving nature of his work within both the Temperance movement and the abolitionist cause, to try and add to public knowledge on his accomplishments.

From Department Store to City Campus: the story of the Debenham’s building in Gloucester

by CC4HH, posted in Uncategorized

As part of our partnership with the City Voices programme of the Gloucester History Festival, undergraduate students in History at the University of Gloucestershire are undertaking a number of local history projects for 2022. In this first of four projects, students examine how the changing function of an important building can give an interesting insight into the city’s change over more than a century. The project group is made up by students Jack Eccles, Nathan Gathercole, Kacper Kwiecinski, and Sophie Phillips.

Our project focuses on the links between the Gloucester community and the Debenham’s building as a retail commercial centre. The Debenham’s building is a testament to the growth of the retail economy in Gloucester and to its links with the local community.

Engraved on the Debenham’s building are the dates 1909 and 1914, which indicate the expansion of the building and also the growth of retail shopping in Gloucester. After the First World War, Gloucester city centre was seen as an area where the growth of the local economy could be further developed. In the 1920s, what is now Kings Square used to be King’s Street and St Aldridge Street. King’s Street is now Kings Walk. The city’s first department store, Bon Marche, owned by Drapery Trust, was opened on Northgate Street in 1889 by John Rowe Pope. In the late 1920s, a new building was constructed near to the site of the original shop.

After the Second World War, large retail businesses opened in Gloucester, and these began to displace some of the existing local businesses. Kings Square became a retail centre to rival the city of Bristol. In 1971, the Bon Marche department store was sold to Debenham’s.

We’ve looked over a number of news articles, interviews, reports and business documents relating to the original building to establish the growth and success of the companies that were located inside it, from the original Bon Marche department store through to the renamed Debenham’s. The building is a perfect case study of the economic growth of Gloucester as a whole. Its rise signalled the coming of a commercial boom in the city, much like its later decline came to reflect the downturn of city centre retail in the early 21st century.

The impact of the building can be seen beyond its economic function. It became a true hotspot for the community by offering a space, being proactive and, more importantly, creative in its engagement with the local population. Minute books show how the employees and management were committed to the idea that the building should serve as more than just a department store. It was also a communal space that hosted events, participated in parades, and did so by engaging the entire staff. This community outlook proved to be incredibly successful. Many people fondly recall their time spent at Debenham’s. In many ways, the picture we are drawing from our research can be compared to that of mall culture in North America during the 1980s.

It is both of these factors put together that give our project a critical understanding of how the Debenham’s building was truly a crucial and important part of the city. Its evolution is closely tied to the development of Gloucester as a whole. This gives profound meaning to its legacy as the building is currently being remodelled as the University of Gloucestershire City Campus.

Planned design for the new City Campus on King’s Square.

Our project aims to uncover and show these developments to a wider audience so that this building’s unique history can be shared and understood as we move into the next phase of Gloucester’s life.