Reading Circle (associated with Camden Street Public School (School Board of Glasgow) Continuation Classes)

Overview

Camden Street Public School was located on Florence Street, which is located just south of the River Clyde in the Gorbals area. (For more information on this school, see ‘Ballater Occupational Centre‘ on The Glasgow Story website. For information on the Gorbals, see ‘Gorbals, Glasgow. Origins & History‘ on the ScotCities website).

In the School Board of Glasgow’s 1907-1908 prospectus for its evening continuation classes for boys and girls as well as young men and women, a Reading Circle was advertised. The class was to use ‘cheap editions of popular educational works in Romance, Travel, Biography’, and was to be connected with the National Home Reading Union.

The National Home Reading Union was formed in 1889 by John Brown Paton, and was based on the popular Chautauqua movement in North America. Its object was to provide a guided reading programme for all classes, but particularly artisans and young people. (For more information on the history of the National Home Reading Union, see Robert Snape, ‘The National Home Reading Union’, Journal of Victorian Culture, 7 (2002), 86-110).

It is currently unknown how many young men and women did attend the course or what works they read.

Date of Existence

1907-1908?

Source of Information

Departmental Records; Further Education; Evening Classes, Continuation Classes and Further Education; Prospectuses 1907-08, 1908-09

Repository

Glasgow City Archives

Reference Number

D-ED 6/2/1; D-ED 2/2/2

Additional Notes

See also Reading Circle (associated with Napiershall Public School).