Archives & Research Digital Collections

 

European Union (EU) Posters

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A selection of European Union related posters held by the University of Bath Archives and Research Collections, 1972, 1992-2014.

In 2017, with some help from a Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Teaching Development Fund grant, the Library and the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies (PoLIS) jointly purchased a collection of over 140 EU-related posters. Featuring the languages of most European countries, the posters cover a wide range of topics from immigration and trade, to human rights and the environment. Some are formal; some are humorous. They are all colourful, communicative and visually engaging.

This selection of 44 posters was curated by Dr Nina Parish, Dr Maria Garcia and Dr Nick Startin, PoLIS, for a display in the Chancellors’ Building as part of the 48th Annual Conference of the University Association for Contemporary European Studies (UACES) hosted on campus, 2nd-5th September 2018.

We hope you enjoy them!

 

Forgotten buildings: Bath

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Architectural photographs relating to the city of Bath, 1965-1993.

These photographs are part of the Bristol Region Building Record (BRBR) held by University of Bath Archives and Research Collections.

This small selection of unusual photographs offers views of some of the buildings of Bath that are often overlooked or that no longer survive. It includes images of architecture ranging from the 18th to the 20th centuries; from newly finished to demolition in progress; from Georgian streetscapes to a 1970s shopping centre. All the buildings recorded here played a part in the City's architectural development and so earned their place in the story of Bath as we know it today.

Sources and related material:

At Archives & Research Collections, University of Bath:

Judo: The Japanese Method

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An online version of an exhibition hosted by the Museum of East Asian Art in Bath to coincide with the Olympic Games, Tokyo, Japan in 2021.

SS Great Eastern

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Photographic prints relating to the construction and launch of the SS Great Eastern, 1855-1857.

These photographs are part of the Hollingworth Collection held by University of Bath Archives and Research Collections.

Measuring 692 feet and over 18,000 tons, at the time of its launch, the SS Great Eastern was the largest ship ever built. The third steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859), it was intended to service a non-stop route between Britain and Australia with capacity for 4,000 passengers. The shipbuilder was John Scott Russell (1808-1882). Construction began in February 1854 and appears to have taken place at his shipyard in Millwall on the Isle of Dogs, East London, or at the adjoining Napier Yard, which he leased from 1854. Work was delayed by a fire in May 1855 and interrupted again between February and May 1856 owing to financial difficulties. On 3 November 1857 a first, unsuccessful attempt was made to launch the ship.  After further problems the launch was finally accomplished on 31 January 1858.   

Brunel recognised the value of photography as a means of recording and illustrating work on the ship, and in late 1854 he commissioned Joseph Cundall and Robert Howlett to take a set of photographs showing construction progress for the information of the directors of the Eastern Steam Navigation Company. In May 1855 Brunel felt the need to issue very specific instructions governing all aspects - timing, frequency, camera position - of the photography, writing '...what I want is a clear representation of detail.' He additionally requested that a date should be made visible on each image for easy reference (though this did not always happen).

Together the photographs evidence the unprecedented scale of the project and some of the huge technical and logistical challenges associated with it. They also document details of Brunel's revolutionary engineering designs, including the double-layered hull and the compartmentalising bulkheads.

The photographs have been organised into chronological order as far as this has been possible.

Sources and related material:

At Archives & Research Collections, University of Bath:

  • Typescript copies of correspondence, principally between John Scott Russell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, relating to the conception, design and construction of the Great Eastern steamship, 1852-1880.  (Hollingworth/E/2-E/20)

  • Three volume edition of The Modern System of Naval Architecture, J. Scott Russell, London, Day and Son, 1865. (Hollingworth/E/26-E/28)

  • 'Making Photographic History', E. Howgill, Project Archivist (Brunel), Special Collections, University of Bristol, 2020.

At Special Collections, University of Bristol:

Views of Bath

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A small digital exhibition of a selection of original prints and artworks relating to the city of Bath, 1785-1844.

Women in Sport

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Photographs, documents, publications and ephemera relating to pioneering females in the sports of hockey and judo.

This material is drawn from the All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA) Collection, the Edith Thompson Hockey Collection, the Betty Fairgrieve Hockey Collection, the Richard Bowen (Judo) Collection, and the Woodard (Judo) Collection.

We've selected a small number of our favourite items to give you a taste of what these collections hold and how they complement each other. Together they document some of the unsung heroes of sport, evidencing the pioneering achievements of women athletes and highlighting the role they played in popularising female sporting activity.

Visit the image gallery by clicking on the link to the right.