Blasts from the Past: School Trips

Every Tuesday I run a lunchtime club for Junior School pupils. Over the last couple of weeks, we have been looking at different types of photographs. From stereoscopic images (looked at through a device kindly given to the archive by the Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy) to glass-plate negatives, right up to colour film (35mm and medium format). It was the mounted slides, however, that really captured the pupils’ attention–even without the fun of a carousel and projector! Just holding them up to the light, and seeing the clarity of the images, was fascinating to the pupils. As one commented, he would have believed me if I had said the photograph had been taken last year.

In fact, most of the photographs were taken in the 1970s and 1908s and, by complete coincidence, some during the Easter holidays. One of the trips documented was the 1971 Science tour to East Anglia during which (according to the school magazine) pupils visited factories, labs and the Radio Astronomy Observatory. Impressively, there was also a ‘bonus’ visit to the Chemical Engineering Lab, arranged by a small group of students who presented themselves at the entrance ‘with sufficient aplomb.’  

Photographic evidence in the archive of school Easter trips goes back as far as the 1953 visit to Paris and Mer-sur-Loire. This was the second post-war trip of its kind, the first taking place in 1951. The itinerary was jam-packed and included museums, churches, châteaux and other cultural sites. There was even time for a trip to the Zoo at Vincennes. As we looked through the photograph album, the pupils and I were struck at the lack of people–lack of tourists–at attractions which today would be surrounded by hundreds. The Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur are deserted. There wasn’t time to discuss the history of tourism but possibly it would make a good topic for a future lunchtime club.

As ever, please do get in touch if you have stories to share or questions to ask: I can be contacted via email at archive@kcs.org.uk.

Lucy Inglis | School Archivist