Reflections on the 175th anniversary of the founding of Bedford College and an introduction to Royal Holloways new strategy RH2-30s – Zoom Meeting 31st March 2025
The session started with the great news that, as a result of donations from Alumni, £96,000 has been raised to fund an archivist dedicated to the Bedford College Archives for at least two years.
In addition as a result of generous donations from two Bedford Alumnae, the plan for commissioning an artist to paint the portrait of our founder Elisabeth Jesser Reid, based on the single photo we have, is also underway: a shortlist of artists has been drawn up.
Some of you may also have attended the play by Hedda Bird, a Bedford Alumna at South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell, a further commemoration of Elisabeth Jesser Reid which celebrated her determination to overcome obstacles to found a Women’s College in London. The Theatre Company hope that the play can now be taken to London.
We shared the comments from those who completed the survey to review the three events held in the 175th year at Bedford Square, Regents Park and the Heritage Open day at RHBNC. It was a pity that the tickets for Bedford Square were limited but those who managed to attend thoroughly enjoyed the talk by Prof Caroline Barron and Dr Claire Gobbi on the history of the start of the college in London. The event at Regents’ Park provided the opportunity for more to attend and it had a particular draw as it provided the opportunity to revisit the College building, especially popular was the Library, the tours of St John’s Garden and the sumptuous tea. The talk on student life or the early students at Bedford and also Royal Holloway was thoroughly enjoyed as was the visit to the archives.
Looking ahead, the planned events for this year had a positive response with a request that we give as much lead in time as possible for the dates to be shared, to ensure diaries can be managed and travel arranged. On that note you will see the event on Royal Biographies planned to be held at the University Women’s Club in Mayfair now has a date - Friday 20th June, starting at 5.00 and booking will be available very shortly. The successful London Archives Tour and talk has prompted the planning of the event to be repeated to allow more to attend. This will be planned for November.
Many of you want to revisit Regents’ Park, but while the St John Gardens are open to the public, events in the Regent’s University carry a cost and finding available dates is tricky. Neverthless, Individual Bedford alumni are treated as alumni of the University and can register for an access pass. The link for applying is https://www.regents.ac.uk/alumni-access-card-registration.
Also a reminder that the Bedford Room, at 11 Bedford Square, is available for alumni to book for reunions, free of charge. The room is open Monday to Friday (in term-time from 1pm-9pm, and outside of term time, 1pm-7pm) and Saturday (in term-time 10am-6pm). It is not open on Sundays, Bank Holidays and Saturdays outside of term-time. Term dates are available on the College Website. The Bedford Room holds 8-10 people seated in boardroom style and up to thirty people for a standing reception. To book the room phone 0207 307 8600.
A question was raised concerning the continuation of the oral histories project which was paused as a result of Covid. This will certainly be picked up and carried forward by the new Bedford Archivist.
The survey results were followed by a presentation by Dr Vicky Greenaway on the New College strategy: RH2030s. This highlighted how the college of the future is being shaped, especially in these challenging times which are faced by all universities. She highlighted that the college was focused on ensuring its strong social purpose to meet the needs of current students and to manage change in the sector. Inclusion was highlighted as being especially important as the college serves a diverse community, and also the college’s determination to promote social justice to prepare citizens of the world.
Keep encouraging fellow Alumni to engage in events and also plan your own! Thank you to all those who attended.
Maggie Bolton (History, 1974)
