The Edge Hill University Archive is the home for the print and visual history of the institution from its foundation in 1885, when it opened in Liverpool as the first non-denominational teacher training college for women. The college moved out to Ormskirk in the 1930s and during the Second World War was evacuated to Bingley, Yorkshire, when the Ormskirk site was requisitioned for use as a military hospital. The first male students were admitted in 1960 and in the following decades the college gradually evolved into the present day university.
The archive includes the records of staff, students and other stakeholders from throughout its existence and represents a significant legacy for the history of education, broader social histories and the transformation of British society from the late 19th century to the present day. Areas of particular interest in Edge Hill’s archives include the development of women’s education in the 19th and 20th centuries and the history of teacher training. The archive also holds collections relating to the First and Second World Wars and 20th century cinema fandom.
Our online catalogue is available via our website and is regularly updated. We are keen to both expand the collection that records the history of the institution and bring in new collections that relate to the creative industries, social responsibility and health research. Please get in touch for more information.
Dan Copley
Archivist
(0169) 565 7518
lsarchives@edgehill.ac.uk
Original plans for Edge Hill Training College, Ormskirk (detail), c. 1932.
Original plans for Edge Hill Training College, Ormskirk (detail), c. 1932.
Watercolour painting of Edge Hill’s Ormskirk campus, c. 1950s, artist unknown.
Watercolour painting of Edge Hill’s Ormskirk campus, c. 1950s, artist unknown.
Students studying at Edge Hill College, June 1965.
Students studying at Edge Hill College, June 1965.
Photograph of the cast of an Edge Hill Training College production of Macbeth, 1920s.
Photograph of the cast of an Edge Hill Training College production of Macbeth, 1920s.
Page from a series of film and radio scrapbooks, 1952, Christopher Roby Archive of Film Texts collection.
Page from a series of film and radio scrapbooks, 1952, Christopher Roby Archive of Film Texts collection.
Example of a handmade comprehension card used by an Edge Hill student on teaching practice, c. 1950s.
Example of a handmade comprehension card used by an Edge Hill student on teaching practice, c. 1950s.