Hillcroft Mythbuster:The Crofts
It is possible that a further planning application affecting Hillcroft may be submitted in the future, perhaps when we least expect it or when many of us are away on holiday. In anticipation of that possibility, it is important that the history of Hillcroft is properly documented and made publicly available.
The heritage report submitted with the RHAAC application was, in many respects, inadequate. One of its most significant omissions was the failure to acknowledge that Powell House at Hillcroft was named in honour of Margaret Joyce Powell OBE. This omission is particularly painful because it reflects a wider pattern in which women's contributions are rendered invisible.
Margaret Joyce Powell OBE was one of the founder members of Hillcroft, and Powell House was officially opened in her honour by Joan Lester MP. To omit any reference to this history is not merely an oversight; it obscures the achievements and legacy of a woman who played a crucial role in the foundation and development of Hillcroft, which was after all a college for women. Below we look at an additional myth.
It is sometimes assumed that the enormous air raid shelter at Hillcroft hillcroft objection to development was built for the students at Hillcroft. However, this was not actually the case as Hillcroft was rented out for the sum of £500 per annum*. During the war, 13 or so Hillcroft students were evacuated to Bournville, Selly Oak. Accommodation was provided at The Beeches, while joint classes were held with students at Fircroft, for which Hillcroft was named. Others undertook correspondence courses.
Founded in 1909, Fircroft College was created to provide educational opportunities for working men through collaboration with the Workers' Educational Association, the Adult School movement, and the labour and co-operative movements. It later established its permanent home in a half-timbered house that had formerly been the residence of George Cadbury Jr.
The Quaker, George Cadbury Sr., an interest in the Danish folk high schools, whose positive impact on the quality of rural life in Denmark had been a source of inspiration. Their emphasis on practical instruction, the promotion of co-operation helped to shape the vision for the college.
Avoncroft was founded following Cadbury's concern that Fircroft had failed to attract significant numbers of students from the countryside, notwithstanding the provision of two bursaries reserved for rural workers. In 1924, a suitable property was acquired at Offenham, in the fruit-growing district of Evesham, Worcestershire. Alongside liberal studies, the college provided practical instruction in dairying, horticulture, poultry keeping, and rural mechanics.
The Cadbury Trust provided an extensive number of bursaries, and students from the aforementioned colleges, including Hillcroft, Danish students and the Selly Oak colleges, were eligible to apply for them.
*So, who used Hillcroft during the war, well that is another instalment.
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