Year

Event

1908

Alexander MacLennan (Mac) was born in Glasgow, son of Colin and Mary MacLennan. Colin was employed as a machine packer at the Singer Manufacturing Company factory in Glasgow.

1926

Mac entered the University of Glasgow to study for a degree in Pure Science.

1929

Mac graduated from University of Glasgow with a BSc degree in Pure Science.

1930

Mac started teaching in primary education in East London.

1936

Mac became a civilian instructor in the RAF Training Command.

1939

At the outbreak of war, Mac tried for, but did not gain, a commission as a Flying Officer in RAF Training Command.

1939-45

Mac spent the war as a civilian within RAF Training Command, rising to the rank of Squadron Leader (acting, unpaid).

1946

Bolton Training College for Technical Teachers opened for the training of technical teachers with AJ Jenkinson as the Principal and Mac as the Deputy Principal.

1947

Mac moved to Huddersfield (1st Jan) and founded the Emergency Training College for Technical Teachers. He was joined by F Luckman (L in Science and Education) and K van den Toon (SL in Commerce) joined him shortly afterwards, followed by JA Lawton in November 47.

1947

The large houses in Egerton were obtained for teaching and residence: Oakley, Oakwood and Woodlands, followed later by Buckden Mount and Somerville.

1949

Relationship with Leeds University was formed for the award of their Certificate in Education and Post-Graduate Certificate in Education to groups of Pre-Service students on a 9-month full-time course. Most students were residential. (The early courses were probably less than 9 months – there were top-ups to follow in 1950!)

1957

Phase One of the Building started on the Holly Bank Road site. Detail .

(guess) classrooms, lecture room, labs for science, engineering, and building, engineering workshop, library, offices, staff room

1958

Phase Two of the Building started on the Holly Bank Road site. Detail . .

Completed for occupation in Sept1959. (Guess) Large Hall, small hall, classrooms, offices

1961

The 9-storey hostel block was opened on the HollyBank Campus. Up to 176 students could be accommodated in individual study-bedrooms. Plus lounge, dining room, kitchen

1962

Barry Williamson enrolled as a student

1963

Barry Williamson passed out (fainted?) with a PGCE

1963

Peter Frankland joined the staff as Lecturer in Maths and Science

1963

Frank Barr was promoted to Deputy Director.

1963

Four-term Sandwich Course In-Service Certificates in Education commenced. Serving teachers from FE colleges all over the UK enrolled. One term was spent at HollyBank. Two terms back in their own college during which they were visited in their classrooms. A final term was spent at HollyBank.

1964

Phase Three of the Building started on the Holly Bank Road site. Detail . . .2 mixed science labs, workshop and audio-visual studios, library, lecture theatre, classrooms, conference suite and staff room

1966

Commonwealth Conference (and Aberfan disaster)

1966

A day-release In-Service Certificate in Education course began at Durham, under the direction of Dick Hargreaves

1967

A Diploma in Further Education (Dip FE) was started as a sandwich course (under Dick H).

1967

A day-release In-Service Certificate in Education course began at HollyBank, (for FE teachers in West Yorkshire) under the direction of Alan Odams; and (more enthusiastically) a second extra-mural centre started at Chesterfield under the direction of Peter Frankland.

1968

Barry Williamson joined the staff as Senior Lecturer (later Principal Lecturer) in Curriculum Development.

1968?

Extensions to Hostel to improve dining and communal facilities

1969

In-service course set up at Ipswich

1971

Mac was awarded a CBE for services to Education in the UK and in the Commonwealth.

1972

Peter Frankland returned from a 4-year secondment to the Technical Teacher Training Institute (TTTI) in Madras (now Chennai) and took over the leadership of the In-Service Certificate in Durham. The first with (5) resident staff.

1974

The Huddersfield College of Education on the Holly Bank Road Campus became the School (or Faculty) of Education within the Huddersfield Polytechnic. Mac retired as Director and Frank Barr became Dean and later Deputy Rector.

1982

CNAA became the awarding body for HollyBank Certificates and Degrees. Probably the In-Service Certificate in Education was the first to achieve this distinction. Pre-service started in 1983.

1986

Margaret Williamson (formerly Gorrie) enrolled on the Sheffield-based In-Service Certificate in Education.

1988

Margaret Williamson (formerly Gorrie) graduated from the Sheffield-based In-Service Certificate in Education and took the post of Lecturer in the Faculty of Business Studies at the Huddersfield Technical College.

1991

The development of Credit Accumulation and Transfer Schemes (CATS) began under the leadership of Dick Latimer. The School of Education In-Service Certificate in Education was the first in the University to change over to CATS under the leadership of Barry Williamson and Peter Frankland.

1992

Other Education courses (pre-service, BEd, MEd ?) got catted, after some pussy-footing.

1992

Huddersfield Polytechnic was made into the University of Huddersfield and began to award its own degrees within CATS

1994

Barry Williamson retired prematurely, although technically it was a voluntary redundancy. Whichever way, it was good!

1997

Peter Frankland retired early, worked for a year part-time on the first pre-service course at Darlington and then  took up a 2-year full-time posting to Botswana.

2001

The Holly Bank Road campus was sold for housing development and the staff and resources were moved down to the University site in Huddersfield town centre.