Bedford Training College Archive: Photographs

Collection of photographs for Bedford Training College and Bedford Kindergarten.

Founded in 1882, Bedford Training College served as both a kindergarten following Friedrich Froebel's ideas of education and play for infants (children aged from four up to eight years of age) and as a place for the training of teachers. The late 1880s and 1890s saw the acquisition of new premises to accommodate increasing numbers of trainee teachers and kindergarten pupils culminating in the opening of a branch of the kindergarten, Froebel House, in 1896.

The College moved out of private ownership into the control of Bedfordshire Local Education Authority (LEA) in 1950. The transfer of ownership also saw the loss of the school at The Crescent although the school at Froebel House did continue under the control of the LEA. Prue Dempster became the last Principal to be appointed and oversaw the merger of the College with Bedford College of Physical Education and Mander College of Further Education to become the Bedford College of Higher Education in 1976.

Photographs from Bedford Training College are held at the Bedford Campus Library of the University of Bedfordshire.
Items are available to consult by appointment, Monday to Friday, 09.00-16.00.
For enquiries, e-mail bpea@beds.ac.uk or telephone 01234 793257

An extensive collection of material relating to Bedford Training College, its successors and associated schools is held at Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service.

Researchers wishing to publish photographs from the collection must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from University of Bedfordshire Special Collections staff.

Smart, Richard On Others' Shoulders (1994)