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A time of reflection and ‘what might have been?’ if we’d decided to follow other paths.
I was the
first person in our family to go to university and, coming from a working-class
background, I suppose that was quite significant. My decision to study
architecture was based on a rather tentative suggestion from my Maths teacher,
Mr Jones. Although I made general enquiries about what such a course would
involve I frankly had very little idea of what an architect actually did (apart
from ‘designing buildings’… whatever that meant!).
In 1966, I
applied to study architecture at Aston and De Montfort universities and Oxford
School of Architecture (then still part of the College of Technology, now
within Oxford Brookes University); my parents were desperately keen that I
continued to live at home (ie. studying at Aston), so were not impressed when I
opted for Oxford!
My
interview at the Oxford School with its wonderful, charismatic Principal,
Reggie Cave, was quite an experience. This was at a time when places weren’t
awarded on the basis of gaining three A* A-Levels or whatever… the interview
was THE crucial part of the process. I completed some IQ tests before being
called into the Principal’s office… and then he and I sat and discussed life,
art, design, architecture and a whole realm of topics for well over an hour! At
the end of our time together, Mr Cave offered me a place… but not for September
1966, but for 1967 (I had been part of the ‘Remove’ stream at school and had
therefore completed my O-Levels in a year less than ‘normal’; Mr Cave felt I
needed another 12 months’ maturity… and, of course, he was right!). So,
ridiculously (this was before the time of ‘Gap Years’!), I stayed on at school
for a third year in the Sixth Form – frankly just happy to play football and
cricket!
Looking back, I realise how naïve and
selfish I was in assuming that my parents would be happy for me to a) spend
another year at school and b) embark on a six-year university course (I can assure
you, money was tight!)!
I managed
to gain a full grant (£360 a year - £120 per term!) and there were no tuition
fees; there should have been a parental contribution on top of this, but I was
able to manage without it (although Mom+Dad did pay for the odd train fare when
I made my various visits home – although I frequently relied on hitch-hiking).
I think
there were 80(?) architectural students in my first year, but numbers were
considerably reduced over successive years (I think there were just 30 of us by
year 6). I think times and attitudes have changed significantly over the past
50+ years (‘bums on seats’ seems to be the key for university funding, so
perhaps now being dropped from courses on a year-by-year basis is relatively
rare by comparison?).
The architecture course was something of a revelation. It was a mixture of public school-educated students and ‘ordinary’ people like me (I think there were 8 females). We were set a mixture of design projects each term – including perhaps half a dozen ‘one-day-sketch-schemes’. At the end of each project, critiques (‘crits’) were held in which each student had to present his/her scheme to a ‘jury’ of tutors. This was a hugely important part of the course – being able to ‘sell’ your design proposals; to explain/justify the way you had interpreted the project brief; and to defend your design decisions. I was initially struck by how confident the ex-public school students were by comparison with the rest of us… but we gradually developed more confidence and know-how as the course progressed.There are far too many experiences for me to recall in any great numbers (and an awful lot that I have forgotten!), but here are a few:
- On my very first day at college, I got trapped in a lift (together with three other students)!
- After registration on Day 1, one of the other architectural students (RobP – posh and public school-educated) and I decided to walk into Oxford together to do a little ‘exploring’. I was somewhat taken aback that he insisted on walking into town bare-footed (oh, those old hippie days!!).
- One of the other first year students (again public school-educated) introduced himself as ‘Mephistopheles’ and insisted that everyone should refer to him by that name… but I don’t think anyone ever did. He became something of a laughing stock and I don’t think he survived the first year of the course.
- There were no computers, of course! Just ‘Imperial’ and ‘Double-Elephant’ drawing boards, set-squares, T-squares, pens and pencils!
- There was no ‘College Bar’ until perhaps my third year – and, even then, it was only in a small, converted store (current students would no doubt find this unbelievable!).
- Lots of societies/clubs within the college: FADS (Food+Drink Set) – which for a very modest joining fee ensured that ‘free’ access to food and drink samples at their monthly gatherings; Film Club – excellent, current, weekly films (again for an incredibly modest joining fee).
- We had a 24-hour Blues Festival in March 1969. Excellent artists including: Fairport Convention, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Roy Harper, Taste, Pete Brown and his Battered Ornaments, Free, Jo-Ann Kelly, Stefan Grossman, John Peel and others).
- In my first year, I had ‘digs’ in Headington (Mrs Brown’s B+B for £7/week); 2nd Year: Arlington Drive, Marston (with Steve, Age and JohnT); 3rd Year: Norreys Avenue (with Age, JohnT and JohnTom); 4th Year: ‘Year Out’ at home in Brum; 5th Year: Lodge Hill, Abingdon (with Age+JohnTom?); 6th Year: bedsit in Littlemore until Christmas, then Oakthorpe Road, Summertown (having married Moira).
- Principal Reggie Cave’s infamous ‘Teapot Lecture’ given to first year students; this is a link to one he did in 1990 (we never had to fill in forms in ‘our day’!).
- Second Year students used to be sent on a European Study Trip. In 1968 (as it happens, the time of the Riots!), students went to Paris… but were so badly behaved that they cancelled the ‘European’ bit of the Study Trip the following year (ie. in MY second year!) and, instead, sent us to Pontins at Southport on a holiday accommodation project. The good news (for some, but not us!) was that we were so well behaved that they reinstated the European trip the following year (students went to Athens)!
- The Architects’ Punt Race: these happened every summer – between King’s Mill and the Vicky Arms pub. Rules were fairly ‘basic’: Le Mons start; punt and six crew had to start and finish the race (as the race became more established boatyards would hide away their punts, poles and paddles the night before – equipment used to mysteriously disappear for race purposes!). The course highlights included negotiating the ‘Rollers’ (punts had to be pushed up ‘rollers’ at a change in water level) and paddling past ‘Parsons’ Pleasure’ (nudist bathing place)! On one occasion, I ended up in the water… I think we were in either first or second place entering the ‘rollers’ and anxious to re-enter the water as speedily as possible. Unfortunately, our heaviest crew member jumped back into the punt right at the bow end and the rest of us jumped in before the punt reached the water… with the predictable result that our punt (and us) disappeared under the water!
- We were required to attend lectures (but there were only perhaps 2-3/week) but, over the course of our time at college, architectural students did most of their work at their respective ‘homes/digs’. Looking back, I feel sure that we worked harder (and longer) than all the rest of the students at the college!! LOTS of all-night sessions, followed by a couple of days of ‘relaxing’ (ie. drinking!) before it all started again.
- One of key things for me (in the first year) was Tom Porter’s art ‘syllabus’. He became a brilliant influence for lots of us (definitely for me)… encouraged us to take risks; experimenting with different presentation techniques; colour; took us on a trip to London and pointed us towards Habitat, Carnaby Street/Biba; the film ‘2001: Space Odyssey’ etc. I won Tom’s poster competition for an exhibition at the Ashmolean in 1968.
- Mrs Barber’s brilliant ‘Art Materials’ shop on the ground floor of the architecture block (she was something of a ‘mother figure’ for lots of us and kept us all smiling!).
- I won the ‘most improved student’ award (or whatever it was called) at the end of my second year (sponsored by the Oxford Architects Partnership – who subsequently offered me my first job). A huge boost to my self-confidence.
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