Lambton Castle is a country residence that was converted into a Residential College for Adult Education by Durham County Council Education Committee in the decade following World War II.
The Council drew up a constitution for the College, and appointed John Huddleston (1905 - 2002) as Warden, with a free hand to develop a curriculum as he saw fit. And so I moved into the Castle in 1952/3 with my parents and my younger sister and brother. My father's story is told in A Diary of a Yorkshireman, parts of which are available on request. My mother, Amalia Katerina Keilwert (1917 - 2002) was born in the wonderful City of Salzburg, was educated in Vienna and married John Huddleston in September 1939, just as war broke out.
After the shock and horror of two world wars (see the variety of autobiographies, published and unpublished, of so many people's wartime recollections), Lambton provided the opportunity to relax in a residential setting away from the routines of paid employment and unpaid 'leisure time' in the household. The chance to try out at leisure those neglected skills, talents and interests in a residential setting subsidised by the local government, was very much appreciated. Subjects on offer included Psychology, Dress Making, Politics and Household Economy, Music and Drama. (See full list on https://www.douglassocialcredit.com/
ESSAYS/YORKSHIRE EDUCATION/Lambton Castle brochure, and Formal Opening Lambton Castle.
During the 1950s, when Residential Colleges of Adult Education thrived, though all too briefly, tutors and students could take for granted access to excellent library facilities in municipal libraries and within the libraries of local universities, so that their initial start in studying a particular subject kindled by attendance at a residential course could be consolidated.
That is no longer the case. Hard copy library books are hard to come by in many localities in the UK. Hence the need for the Douglas Social Credit Collection to be accessed as a reference resource. The plan is to stimulate the growth of local hard copy libraries, so that they are freely available to residents in every town and village of the UK. Considering how much money can be found to train young people in the military skills necessary to go to war (and to be employed to make weapons of mass destruction) there must be ways to aid discussion of alternatives to poverty and warfare?
See Blog entry 6 May 2024, What is Adult Education?
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