#downsidemonasteryarchives

This week one of our volunteers is working to sort out a vast section of our photographic archives, as yet untouched. The Downside photographic collections form a large part of the archives here, and are one of the most significant portions as well. Thousands of images, the earliest from 1857 and rumoured to have been taken by Henry Fox Talbot, highlight the unique history of our site.

With this week's work we are aiming to be able to start making a catalogue of our images, and to understand the depth of the collection. We will also have the ability to share more images and we hope to be able to find more pictures of the development of Downside over the last 150 years.

Many of the photos we are working through now relate to pupils from the school from 1900-1930, and offer a rich insight into boarding school life at that time. Pictures of sporting events and plays are prominent in the collection, as are pictures of the Officer Training Corps and exercises they were involved in. Above is a photo of soldiers, possibly with some ex-Downside pupils among them. 

We have also unearthed many images of Downside dinners, when Old Gregorians would gather, a tradition which still goes on today. The image above has no date, but judging by the monks attending it must have been in the 1930's. Altogether, our photographic archive is a rich history of Downside, much of which is still waiting to be discovered.