Long before the University of Cumbria, and a couple of decades before St Martin’s College and our Brampton Road campus were even thought of, what was life like for the Charlotte Mason College students living in Ambleside?
- The rules were strict, curfews were in place and students were not permitted to go out in the evenings.
- When out of college on day trips they had to wear a hat and look presentable. Uniform had to be purchased from Harrods.
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- Items on students’ list of essentials were ‘skirts, one suitable for climbing, sports blouses, a dinner dress, one pair of galoshes, a hockey stick’.
- Students were prohibited from bringing bicycles and gramophones to campus.
- On Tuesday evenings they all gathered together and took it in turns to talk about a chosen subject.
- Each student had to keep a nature notebook to encourage an interest in nature. They illustrated and wrote about the plants, animals and insects they came across on regular walks.
- The college became a safe haven during the war and saw an increase in numbers. Due to shared experiences and restrictions very strong friendships were forged.
See more images and contribute to the discussion in the Cumbria Network archive here.
Read more about student life in the 1940s in Memory Lane here.