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A.O.S.A. 2006 ANNUAL REPORT |
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Ayton School closed in July 1997. During that summer the Bursar’s team prepared the school for the auction of the school contents, which were laid out systematically throughout the school buildings. Prior to the auction, the Bursar, John Roberts, with a small number of Old Scholars and School Committee members, toured the auction and picked out items whose principle value lay in their connection with the history of the school. Of course, all items with substantial value had to be sold, though many were bought by Old Scholars and are being lovingly preserved. For those who are confused as to the difference between the memorabilia and archive, it is worth pointing out that all the documents and photographs in the memorabilia were already published. The archive, on the other hand, which is held at the County Records Office in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, is an entirely written record drawn from the management information held by the Heads and Bursars at Ayton, along with the minute books and other committee documents. Much of this is recognised as a valuable historic research resource, but will include staff and student records, which must remain confidential. Thus, access to these records will be strictly controlled by the County Archivist. I will list briefly the contents of the Memorabilia and you can see some of these in the accompanying photographs.  Of principle interest to old scholars are the photographs and there is always a crowd around the albums on display at the reunions. Most of the 20th Century is covered although I am still compiling albums from a huge box of loose photographs. It doesn’t help that there are many different formats. Those from the early 20th Century tend to be in the form of glass slides, whilst the rest is in a mixture of 35mm slides and prints and from the later years, there are even some videos.
One of the main problems I have is putting names to faces and I encourage visiting old scholars to write down the names of former friends they recognise in the pictures. I would also like to appeal for photographs from the 60’s and 70’s with names and dates if possible. Next on most people’s list are the written records. There are two types: personal journals and publications such as the Becksides, of which there is a bound complete set, as well as some loose duplicates. For the period prior to the Beckside there is the Journal of Past & Present Scholars of Friends’ Schools. From the Ayton Old Scholars Association I have the Annual Reports covering the first 100 years.
I would also like to appeal to the person who borrowed my own Firbank house badge from the 1950’s to return it. Failing that, has anyone a Firbank or Swarthmore badge from the 1950’s - small (about thumbnail size) enamel badges - which they would be willing to donate to the memorabilia. I now have a badge collection housed in a secure case! The memorabilia is housed in a room kindly set aside for the purpose by Ayton Meeting, following a generous fundraising by old scholars after the school closed. It occupies a space that was originally part of the headmaster’s house and was at one point Mary Reader’s kitchen. Old scholars may remember looking up at the little window above the doorway from Girls’ Playground into the Meeting House passageway. They now have the chance to look down from that window as they peruse the various items I put on display at Reunion weekends.The room is normally open on the Saturday afternoon and after Meeting on the Sunday of reunion weekend. I look forward to seeing old scholars as they move round the room, especially when they see a face they thought they had forgotten. Normally the items are locked away, and there is so much that I cannot display everything. When you come to reunion please ask if there is something that you want to see but is not on show. Jane Campbell (Bye) 1953-60 |
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A.O.S.A. 2006 ANNUAL REPORT |
Setting up the memorabilia collection for each reunion and caring for it has been very painful for me, but it has also brought some happy memories. John Reader gave me much valuable advice in the early stages of my project and I continue my work in his memory.