Alice Twyman's History of the Gilberd

May 12, 2023

Alice Twyman's History of the Gilberd - 1912-1967

Alice Twyman in 1967

As regular visitors to this site will know it is now possible (through the digital publication of issues of ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Gilberdian’) to trace the history of the school back to the early 1950s. This seems to be the point where formal records started to be kept and we lacked the documentation to go back further. When I met up with Eddie recently to review Steve Turner's photos he presented me with an old folder he had discovered in his office.

Inside were two items he had kept about the history of the early school. The first was typed up on the headed paper of the ‘North-East Essex Technical College and School of Art’ and the Principal listed was Mr Garside. He was Head Teacher between 1935-1942 but the article makes mention of the 1960s so it's really not clear when this was typed.

The article itself is a summary of a piece about the opening of the new Technical College which featured in the Essex County Standard from July 1912. (Eddie actually went to Colchester Library many years ago to confirm the existence of the original article.) This account paints a picture of exactly what the building was like when it opened.

Eddie also explained that he had held on to an account of the school's history written by Alice Twyman. We have reproduced her handwritten notes below. If you click on each image you will find a higher quality version that is easier to read. Some of the pages Miss Twyman wrote were quite long and the last line on a few pages would not scan. I have therefore transcribed those lines below the affected pages.

Miss Twyman describes her summary as "a brief account of a bare framework through which flowed a stream of gifted, dedicated men, women, boys and girls for most of whom the school became a way of life".

I particularly liked a quote she highlighted from Mr Sprason:

"Boredom is a pernicious disease which need never attack you if you develop active interests which you personally find satisfying and which you can share with others."

Former pupil Mike Woolnough remembers Alice Twyman:

She was a remarkable lady who has left a lasting impression on me. I went to her funeral in St Peter's Church. Her niece was overwhelmed at the size of the congregation, mainly old pupils who had come to remember and celebrate her life.