Planning the activities to mark the 175th anniversary of the College, the decision was made that any investment for the celebrations should be long-lasting. A few ideas were discussed looking at what the College wanted to achieve and how other schools marked key anniversaries. One common thread at other schools was the installation of Timelines as part of their celebrations and this idea seemed to fit the brief.

The Bradfield Chronicle of January 1950 mentioned that Blood’s Passage had a “new look” with its new well-ordered notice boards, and it is possible that some of them were still in use in 2024! It was therefore, decided that Bloods Corridor would be the best location for the timeline as a key thoroughfare in the College and one which the Founder once likened to a 'cloister alongside Quad'.

Several quotations from suppliers for the project were sought. The final brief for the project was: that the Bradfield 175 timeline should celebrate the 175th anniversary, showcase the history of the school to the present day, provide an internal marketing tool for prospective parents, students and visitors and a place where current students, staff and parents could feel pride in the history of the school.

The styling was intended to be a zig zag rather than a straight line. It was to include colour and black and white images with some watermark background imagery where relevant and in the context of the timeline and its location between the doors to classrooms along Bloods Corridor.

Bradfield College has a rich heritage dating back to 1850 and this formed the perfect subject matter for a history timeline. The first step in putting the content together was to compile a list of key dates and events from the school’s inception to present day. This was based on the history and development of the College and its buildings, key facts and information gleaned from searching in the College Archive. Stuart Williams who has worked at Bradfield for over 35 years and who has recently published his book on Bradfield College’s history titled ‘Bradfield Prosperity Past our Deserving’ helped with the dates and points of interest. The College Archivist John Cardwell helped to find photographs, pictures and any other themes to be included in the timeline. Dates of particular importance include the College Charter being granted in 1862 and the Royal Supplemental Charter admitting the first girls which was granted in 1977, when the school first moved towards co-education.

The process of collecting content took around 4 months and then the refining of images and checking the content a few more months to finalise. The final timeline comprises around 80 key dates and over a hundred images including the College logo adapted for the 175th anniversary.

The graphic designers did a great job transferring the first ideas into the bespoke timeline design you see today. They also incorporated the colours from the college brand guidelines and the colour scheme of the 'Education for Life' programme into sections of the timeline to great effect.

The timeline is printed on premium, industrial grade acrylic wall covering and should last for many years. It has had the “wow” factor we hoped for and great feedback from pupils and staff so far since its installation. It’s a heritage to be proud of and pupils feel a sense of belonging when they wander along the corridor and follow the timeline.

Information Boards

The final phase of the whole project this week was the installation of seven A2 size information boards around the College campus to direct guests and share the history in different areas of the College including: St Andrew’s Study Centre, Quad, Sunken Garden, Art School, Faulkner’s Green, Greeker and the Sports Centre. These were designed to complement the timeline in style while offering location specific background.

Roger Keeley, long-serving member of staff, drafted the written content for the panels, sharing many of the treasured facts that make his College tours so memorable. Many thanks to him for the time that he dedicated to this project.

If you are interested in hearing Roger Keeley’s tour, do join us for the 175 Summer Gathering on 21 June, for more information and registration information visit the Bradfield Society Events page.

Many thanks to the Friends of Bradfield for sponsoring this particular project.

We hope that you will join us and Step Back in Time this summer and see both the timeline and information boards on Saturday 21 June at our Summer Gathering or at one of the other events we are hosting in June to mark this key anniversary.

More details about the summer events here