Records of West End School of Cookery
Reference codes, titles and dates of
Archive
Reference Code: GB 1847 WSC
Title: Records of West End School of Cookery
Date of creation of material: 1878-1908
Level of description: Fonds
Extent: 0.2 metres
Administrative history
Name of Creator: The West End School of Cookery.
Administrative history: The West End School of Cookery was founded in 1878 and opened to the public in October of that year. The founder of the West End School of Cookery was Margaret Black (1830-1903), who had also been an instructress at the Glasgow School of Cookery. She was a teacher of cookery and published many books on the subject of domestic science in her time. The School’s first premises were at 2 Dalhousie Street, Glasgow in the Corporation Galleries’ building. Later premises included 346 Sauchiehall Street and 1 Scott Street. In 1908 the School amalgamated with the Glasgow School of Cookery to form a Scottish Central Institution under the title the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science (Incorporated).
Initially the West End School provided for private teaching but in 1885, the Scotch Education Department recognised it as a teacher training centre. The School however prior to this date had been running classes in Glasgow and Govan board schools. The subjects taught at the School covered diplomas in cookery, housewifery and laundry, along with certificates to housewives, housekeepers and cooks. Teaching also included lessons on domestic subjects and providing instruction to certificate students under the Glasgow Provincial Committee for the Training & Certification of Teachers.
 Margaret Black, in May of 1898, handed the total responsibility of her School to the Executive Committee, including her husband's nephew, William Black. In 1903, after the death of the founder Margaret Black (Mrs Black's obituaries), her niece Mary MacKirdy (1874-1957) became the principal of the school. She too was know for her cookery publications and went on to work at the Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science (Incorporated) for many years.
[Source: Willie Thompson and Carole McCallum, Glasgow Caledonian University: its origins and evolution, (East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 1998)]
Archival History: Retained in the custody of Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science (Incorporated), subsequently The Queen’s College, Glasgow and eventually Glasgow Caledonian University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition: The Queen's College, Glasgow
What is in the Archive
Scope and Content abstract: Little documentation has survived from the West End School of Cookery although the Register of Diplomas from 1885 to 1908 give an indication of the types of students using the School. (Prior to the amalgamation with the Glasgow School of Cookery in 1908, both schools gave a summary of their present circumstances including staff and premise and this account is part of the Records of the Queen's College, Glasgow.)
- Register of Diplomas 1885 to 1903
- Register of Diplomas 1894 to 1908
- Diplomas and certificates in - Cookery, Housewifery, Laundry Work, Housekeeper’s Certificate and First Class Diploma in Superior and Household Cookery
- 3 original obituaries for Mrs M Black (1903)
- 3 book publications by Mrs Margaret Black - Hints to Young Housekeepers; La Bonne Cuisine, and Household Cookery and Laundry Work.
Appraisal, Destruction and Scheduling Information: This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 1847 procedures.
Accrual: None expected.
System of Arrangement: This material is awaiting arrangement.
Getting & using the Archive
Conditions Governing Access: Owned by Glasgow Caledonian University. Open by arrangement with the Archivist.
Copyright/Conditions Governing Reproduction: Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist. Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.
Language of Material: English.
Physical Characteristics: None which affect the use of this material. table
Finding Aids: Handlist to item level.
A fully searchable multilevel description for part of this archive is available via the Gateway to the Archives of Scottish Higher Education (GASHE) web site at http://www.gashe.ac.uk .
Other collections of similar subject matter
Location of Originals: This material is original.
Existence of Copies: No known copies.
Related Units of Description: Part of Glasgow Caledonian University Research Collections -
Publication Note: Ellice Miller, Century of change 1875-1975: one hundred years of training home economics’ students in Glasgow, (Glasgow: The Queen's College, c1975);
Willie Thompson and Carole McCallum, Glasgow Caledonian University: its origins and evolution, (East Linton: Tuckwell Press, 1998).
Archive contact
Carole McCallum (University Archivist)
Telephone - +44 (0)141 273 1188
Email - C.McCallum@gcal.ac.uk
Notes relating to the preparation of this description
Description Compilation Details: Compiled by Carole McCallum, University Archivist, 28 March 2000.
Description Alterations: Updated by Carole McCallum, 16 January 2002, 8 April 2003.
Last Updated:
18 March, 2008
Edited by: webteam@gcal.ac.uk |
