Lord Evans Returns to Prior Pursglove to Celebrate 465 Years of History
Artefacts representing a Teesside college’s 465 years of history were proudly placed on display for a visit by prestigious alumnus the Lord Evans of Guisborough, Jeremy Roger Evans.
Lord Evans attended Prior Pursglove College between 1980 and 1982 and was one of a group of students who set up the college’s popular debating society, an enrichment project that inspired him to embark on a career as a politician.
Wider industrial heritage of Teesside
Lord Evans returned to visit Prior Pursglove, which is part of the Atomix Educational Trust, to take a nostalgic tour of the college and examine some artefacts curated by history lecturer Richard Blom and his students.
Mr Blom is hoping to put together a collection of artefacts for a Teesside museum with the help of students – and is seeking to form a heritage board that will oversee the project.
He also has the idea to create a museum on the site of the college.
During the visit, Lord Evans pledged to support a project to curate college artefacts dating back almost half a millennium in any way he could, as he met history students and saw some of the artefacts.
These represented just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is held in storage by the college.
“We currently hold the Elizabethan Charter to state that education could take place on this site, which was applied for by Robert Pursglove,” said Mr Blom.
“That is on display, but since that time, we have amassed a huge amount of documentation and various artefacts going back to the very beginning of our history.
“I am very keen that these should be on display to the general public for anybody who has an interest in Guisborough’s history or in the wider industrial heritage of Teesside.”
“It’s a pleasure to come back”
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Stories like this are a powerful reminder of the lasting impact our schools and colleges have on the lives of young people. Prior Pursglove’s remarkable history is not just something to be celebrated, but something to be preserved and shared with future generations. It is wonderful to see students themselves playing a role in bringing that heritage to life.”
Ahead of Lord Evans’ visit, artefacts were carefully selected by students to remind him of his own time at the college, as well as older objects to inspire curiosity.
The grade books for when Lord Evans passed courses in Chemistry, Physics, Maths and General Studies were included in the display, as well as an old register bearing his name.
Mr Blom said: “Many people don’t realise how old our college is and I would like the local community to be more aware of our history through the artefacts that we have.
“These have been sitting in boxes in a cupboard in the library where they have been safe and secure, but they are not currently available for people to see.
“I hope to curate a museum on site, which would be accessible to the community, with the help of history students, who would get a lot of valuable experience from choosing and cataloguing artefacts for display and running and maintaining the museum.”
Lord Evans said: “When I received an email inviting me to visit the College, I was really pleased to hear from Mr Blom, who was keen to show me the archives.
“It’s a pleasure to come back, as I really enjoyed the two years I was here between 1980 and 1982, as I think it made a big difference to my life.”
Lord Evans went on to talk about being part of a group of students that founded the debating society at Prior Pursglove, which still runs as an enrichment programme today.
Dr Nichole Munro, CEO of Atomix Educational Trust, added: “Preserving our heritage in this way is critical. None of us will be here long term and we need to take care of these artefacts and catalogue them.
“If we can put a group of well-meaning people around that, together we can create something that has the potential to last forever.”