A peek into Dame Allan's Archive

The Jubilee building hails a new era for Dame Allan’s Schools, with fantastic STEAM facilities, an art exhibition space and offices. Dame Allan’s history stretches back over 300 years and has seen multiple buildings, wars, members of staff and over 10 generations of pupils. 

Mrs Fiddaman, Head of Dame Allan’s Girls’ School and history teacher, is also the school’s in-house archivist. She runs the school’s archivist society with a group of sixth formers and younger pupils. 

From snaps of sporting successes to memories of the first school magazine, Dame Allan’s archives is a treasure trove of discoveries. We caught up with Mrs Fiddaman and one of our sixth form archivists, Imogen, to find out why Dame Allan’s archive is so special.

Imogen, what made you want to join The Archivists’ Society?

Imogen: 

Two Allanians encouraged me to join The Archivists' Society. Keen archivists themselves, they knew I would enjoy exploring the rich records and history of the school. What initially drew me in was my love of studying history at A-Level, although I quickly discovered that helping old Allanians find out their past is so rewarding.

Why do you think it’s important to keep an archive?

Mrs Fiddaman: 

As a historian, I am keenly aware that the keeping of accurate records is a fundamental basis for our understanding of the past. So much social history is lost to future generations because the lives of ordinary people have not been considered worth preserving. I am determined that as much information about Dame Allan’s, and most importantly the people who study and work here, is preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy.

Imogen:

The school has such a fascinating history, and one that we still think a great deal of today. I think it's crucial for everyone and everything to remember their roots - in our case Dame Eleanor Allan over 300 years ago. Every Allanian of past, present and future plays a little part into the school's history and we should take pride in the school's heritage.

What’s been your best discovery in the archive?

Imogen:

My favourite is the Headmaster's Log Book from around the 1880s. Essentially a diary for the Headmaster, it includes all his daily tasks such as covering lessons for late teachers or suspending school due to the snow! I have to add a special mention to some of the choir recordings we have on vinyl records. I'm an avid record collector myself, and was really impressed with the school's collection of the recordings. A lot of the Archive has been in storage during the construction of the Jubilee building, so I look forward to exploring a lot of new (old!) things in the future.

Mrs Fiddaman:

The most exciting recent find came from the clear out of the bursary before the building of the Jubilee wing. We have long treasured the Boys’ Admissions Register which came up from College Street and records the details of boys entering Dame Allan’s from the 1870s. The whereabouts of the companion register for the girls was unknown and it was feared it had been destroyed before the move to Fenham in the 1930s. However, the clear out of the bursary cupboards revealed the book, spotted by the Bursar, Mrs Vicki MacDonald, herself an Allanian and recognised for the invaluable document that it is. This book, together with the boys’ register gives us a great insight into the social make up of the schools and provides a foundation for all our other records for the Girls’ School.

How can we keep archive material live in the school day-today?

Mrs Fiddaman: 

A cabinet in the main corridor displays pupils’ items from the archives including photos, uniforms and memorial china. There are also photographs around school such as the May Queen photos and the girls in their ‘Polly Bell’ uniforms. 

One of our most recent additions to this collection is the restored photo of the Boys’ School in 1935. From this we can identify 19 pupils from the cohort who were killed in the Second World War as well as 10 who were mentioned in dispatches. It also shows us the last school image of Alisdair Christison to whom there is a special plaque in the Newsom Hall, next to the war memorial, placed there by his great Oxford friend, the author Richard Adams who wrote ‘Watership Down’. This photo gives us a living link to the war memorial in the hall and an everyday reminder that those whose names are recorded there were once children doing many of the same things as our pupils today.

The records from the archives can also be used in lessons, particularly history but also RS where the records of the soldiers who died in the war have been used to bring a personal slant to the lessons. 

How can archiving help pupils prepare for their chosen next steps after Dame Allan’s?

Imogen: 

I think an eye for detail is necessary when looking through the archives! There have been a few instances of old Allanians requesting our help to find names or dates in the records that have sent us on a bit of a wild goose chase. Looking at the fine print is definitely essential for these, but it's always a really rewarding feeling to be able to connect people with their past. As a prospective law student, this eye for detail, and the perseverance to "just keep looking" are things that I think will serve me well in the future.

Mrs Fiddaman:

Archiving can help with any careers that require research skills, good organisational skills and a keen eye  - a number of careers spring to mind such as law, teaching, politics and medicine.

How do you think the new Jubilee building can keep the history of Dame Allan’s alive?

Mrs Fiddaman:

The Jubilee building bookends the Queen’s Building which was, of course, opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in our tercentenary year of 2005. This was a momentous event for the schools but the addition of the Jubilee Building reminds us that the past can only be remembered if we have a future. The archive is a constant and timely reminder that Dame Allan’s has grown and developed throughout the past 300 years and that it has survived because it has adapted to the world around it.

What’s next for the Archivists’ Society?

Mrs Fiddaman:

We are starting the process of digitising our archives which will be invaluable for ensuring they last long into the future for generations of Allanians to come. The move of the archive office to a new room provides more space to organise our archives to make specific items easier to find, and more accessible for research. 

Imogen: 

I think making our archives more accessible digitally is a great way to engage more people with them. History should be documented and our archives capture the history of the ordinary people of Newcastle, so to commit those to a digital space, will ensure they won’t be forgotten.