Posted on 11th May
Magnus Church of England Academy archivist and former pupil Roger Peacock (pictured), has completed a move of the Magnus C of E Academy’s archive to a new location within the school.
Now, following extensive work to catalogue and protect the historical artefacts related to Magnus’ 500-year history, Roger is seeking the assistance of the public, and particularly former Magnus students, to add to the collection.
He said: “It is important to preserve the past, because politically, socially and educationally, there are lessons to be learnt with the passage of time. By understanding history, we can forge a better future, and not repeat past mistakes or injustices.”
The Magnus Archive predominantly focuses on local history, and especially as it applied to Magnus.
Founded in 1531 by Thomas Magnus, chaplain to King Henry VIII, and originally occupying a building on Appletongate in Newark, it eventually moved to its present site on Earp Avenue in 1909.
Roger says he wants the rich archive to be seen by more students and shared with the wider community.
“Much at Magnus remains recognisable on the surface, but below this much has been revamped and improved,” he added.
“We all have memories of schooldays: friends, sports teams, classroom structure, lesson approach, and staff of our own time.
“Students and others with links to Magnus will be very much the poorer if they cannot learn about our school’s rich and varied past.”
The archive consists of items belonging to the school, with some donated by former pupils and members of the public.
“We are fortunate that we have a dedicated archive to store and preserve mementos of our past. Much material is in the form of photographs, but there is also a number of documents and books, with links to our school’s past. All such memorabilia is carefully stored and looked after for future generations, and indeed the present generation, to research and enjoy,” said Roger.
The Magnus Archive is now seeking the help of the community to fill in the gaps in the collection.
Concerning his own favourites amongst the collection, Roger particularly enjoys examples of old uniforms and highly-decorated Lectern Bible.
Head of school Jim Semmelroth added: “Our archive is absolutely fascinating, and it is impossible not to find oneself lost in history when viewing the documents and artefacts contained there.
Our students use the archive as a resource to inform their learning, not just in a social or historical sense, but to understand that we must all strive to forge a better future by understanding our past.”
Anyone with items to donate should contact Magnus C of E Academy.
