Challenges, Changes, Achievements A Celebration of Fifty Years of Geography at the University Plymouth Mark Brayshay Challenges, Changes, Achievements A Celebration of Fifty Years Challenges, Changes, Achievements A Celebration of Fifty Years of Geography at the University of Plymouth Mark Brayshay Challenges, Changes, Achievements A Celebration of Fifty Years of Geography at the University of Plymouth IV Challenges, Changes, Achievements A Celebration of Fifty Years of Geography at the University of Plymouth MARK BRAYSHAY University of Plymouth Press V VI Paperback edition first published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by University of Plymouth Press, Roland Levinsky Building, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom. ISBN 978-1-84102-441-7 Copyright © Mark Brayshay and The School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, 2019 A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author and The School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth Printed and bound by Short Run Press Limited, Bittern Road, Sowton Industrial Estate, Exeter EX2 7LW This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Typeset by Design Studio, Plymouth University 5 Kirkby Terrace, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA Cover image: © Jamie Quinn: Smeaton’s Tower, Plymouth Hoe during the National Fireworks Championships VII Challenges, Changes, Achievements VIII Contents Contents Acknowledgements X Abbreviations XI List of Figures XII List of Tables XV Preface XVI Chapter 1. Introduction and Context 1 Chapter 2. Academic Staff, 1969-2019: An Evolving Talent Pool 23 Chapter 3. Technicians and Office Staff, 1972-2019: An Indispensable Asset 51 Chapter 4. Geography’s Students 75 Chapter 5. The Geography Degree: Curriculum and Fieldwork 95 Chapter 6. Geography’s Research 135 Appendix I. Staff 158 Appendix II. Awards holders: (a) BSc and BA Geography; (b) BSc and BA combined honours major Geography; (c) BSc Earth Sciences/Physical Geography and Geology; (d) BA European Studies; (e) MSc Sustainable Environmental Management; (f) MSc Planning 167 Appendix III. Prize Winners 194 Appendix IV. Geography higher degrees by research 197 IX Challenges, Changes, Achievements Acknowledgements Gratitude is owed by the author to a great many people who have helped by supplying material and advice during the compilation of the information upon which this book relies. Their assistance has been invaluable. I have greatly valued reflections communicated to me by many past and current members of staff, and by Geography’s graduates. Among those who have afforded particular support, special thanks are due to Jon Shaw for his help in a multitude of ways, and his unfailing enthusiasm for the project. For the loan of documents and the supply of recollections, especially about the early days of Geography at Plymouth, I am heavily indebted to Peter Sims, John Stainfield, David Gilbertson, Ruth Weaver, and Les Ternan. The latter has also been unfailingly patient in answering innumerable questions concerning the development of Geography’s curriculum and, especially, its fieldwork programme. Clive Charlton’s personal store of documents, readily provided on loan, have also been vital. Information communicated by David Croot and Mark Wise has been most useful. The various editors of the Geography Newsletter have, since 2012, provided a crucial record of some of the more recent developments and achievements. Archives kept by Stephen Essex were readily lent for my examination, and his help in checking the book’s appendices and commenting on each chapter, has been much appreciated. Anne Mather and Richard Yarwood’s help with factual information has been valuable. My thanks are due to Jon Dawe, of the University Registry, who cheerfully retrieved key official records for my examination. I also benefited from the assistance of Karen Brown, one of the faculty’s senior administrators, who retrieved bodies of chronological data on Geography’s graduates. Brian Chalkley’s advice on ways of re-wording many of the more waspish paragraphs contained in my original draft text has been gratefully received. I am indebted to Neil Roberts and, especially, to Ralph Fyfe for many details about Geography’s research record. The extensive and detailed information on Geography’s technicians, supplied by Sheila Ternan, has been indispensable. Help from Kevin Solman and Ann Kelly in that regard was also very valuable. Jamie Quinn’s work in assembling scores of photographs, used as illustrations, made possible the creation of a very important ingredient in the volume. All the drawing work for the book’s figures, undertaken by Tim Absalom, represents just a fraction of the support that he has given, including checking parts of the text, verifying factual information, and retrieving items from Geography’s various collections. Very conscious of the responsibility for recording Geography’s story in as accurate a manner as possible, any errors and deficiencies are, of course, mine alone. Mark Brayshay Wembury September 2019 X List of Abbreviations List of Abbreviations CEP Curriculum Enrichment Project CETL (National) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning CNAA Council for National Academic Awards FDTL (National) Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning GEES (National Subject Centre for) Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences GPA (REF) Grade Point Average HEFCE Higher Education Funding Council for England ISEP International Student Exchange Programme PCFC Polytechnics Central Funding Council QAA National Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education QR Quality-related Research (funding) RAE Research Assessment Exercise REF Research Excellence Framework SEED Science Education Enhancement and Development SoC Society of Cartographers SoGEES School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences SUC Society of University Cartographers TQA Teaching Quality Assessment UGC University Grants Committee WBL Work-based Learning XI Challenges, Changes, Achievements List of Figures Page 1.1 Peter Sims, David Willington, John Stainfield 5 1.2 Brian Chalkley, David Gilbertson and John Goodridge 6 2.1 Academic staff ‘timeline’ of those in post between 1969 and 2019 24 2.2 Annual totals of full-time Geography academic staff, 1969-2019 25 2.3 Length of service of full-time Geography academic staff 26 2.4 Female Geography academic staff, 1969-2018 30 2.5 The Times Higher Education Supplement, March 1974. “Britain’s most 34 attractively situated Polytechnic” advertised 31 vacancies (27 for academic staff). Four new posts in Geography were listed but only two appointments were made (Clive Charlton and John Sallnow). 2.6 Map of the new Plymouth Polytechnic, 1970. Even with the scale distortions 35 employed to over-emphasise the size of site, its exceptionally limited extent is obvious 2.7 Research students’ farewell to Roy Jones, 1988, in 2 Endsleigh Place. He was 37 presented with a tee-shirt by Sue Warr, Greg Croxford and Maggie Bochel 3.1 Geography Technicians ‘timeline’ 52 3.2 Technicians in post each year, 1972-2019 52 3.3 Roger Cockerton and Tony Murgatroyd at the Narrator Catchment, c.1977 54 3.4 The layout of Geography’s space on the 8th floor of the Davy Building, 1983 56 and 2019 3.5 David Willington teaching in Room 711, 1991 (his final Geography practical class 57 before retirement) 3.6 The layout of Geography’s space on the 7th floor of the Davy Building, 1983 59 and 2019 3.7 Length of service of Geography Technicians 60 3.8 Technical staff in post for more than twenty years - Kev Solman, Richard Hartley, 60 Ann Kelly, Tim Absalom, Brian Rogers, Sheila Ternan 3.9 Packing fieldwork equipment in preparation for the Western Ireland module, 1995 63 3.10a Geography Marketing leaflet 1983-1984 65 3.10b Geography Marketing leaflet, 1992-1993 65 3.11 Cover, Geography Newsletter, Spring 2016 66 3.12 Katie Head collecting spore sampler pollen records, summer 2018 67 3.13 1970s Casio calculator and adapter 69 3.14a Geography Technician group, 1981: (l to r) Nina Piggott, Sheila Ternan, Kevin 70 Solman, Ann Kelly, Sarah Webber, Eddy Evans, Jane Jones; and Seana Doyle of the Department Office) 3.14b Geography Technician group, 1998: (l to r) Pauline Framingham, Matthew 70 Chambers, Pat Bloomfield, Brian Rogers, Adrian Holmes, Ann Kelly, Kevin Solman, Sheila Ternan, Richard Hartley, Markus Harber, Tim Absalom 4.1 Numbers obtaining Geography (single honours) award, 1972-2018 77 4.2 Numbers obtaining Combined Honours Geography (major) award, 1993-2018 78 4.3 Numbers obtaining Earth Science/Physical Geography and Geology award, 1994- 78 2018 XII List of Figures Page 4.4 Numbers obtaining European Studies award, 1995-2007 78 4.5 Overall numbers of students achieving an award taught wholly or partly by 81 Geographers, 1971-2018 4.6 Programme booklet for the 1987 ten-year reunion, prepared by Peter Sims 82 4.7a Plymouth’s first group of BSc (CNAA) Geography degree students, 1974-1977 83 4.7b Programme brochure, thirty-year student reunion, 1977-2007 83 4.8 Forty-year reunion of 1977 graduates (with Jon Shaw on right) 31 October 2007 84 4.9a Geography degree students, 1986-1989 84 4.9b Thirty-year reunion of 1989 graduates, 28 June 2019 (l-r Mark Brayshay, Clive 85 Charlton, Ruth Weaver, Anne Hawkins (née Higgins), Alistair McClean, Rebecca Garner (née Lovesey), Paul Umfreville, Andrew Varney, Paul Clews, Karen Powell (née Tangye), Steven Wheeler, Sarah Carter, Paul Spackman, Stephen Essex and Stephen Matthews.