Gorsefield House, courtesy of Gorsefield Rural Studies Centre

Do you remember those days back in 1971?  When hot-pants, bell-bottomed trousers and platform shoes were the fashion must haves; Walt Disney opened their theme park in Florida; we switched to decimal currency in the UK; the Osmonds, Jackson 5, Bread, Elvis Presley, Hot Chocolate, the Bee Gees, Bill Withers and The Temptations were among the top hits list; Intel released the world’s first microprocessor; and Texas instruments launched the first pocket calculator. 

In 1971, were you an eleven to thirteen year old girl who lived in London and attended a summer camp at Gorsefield House?  Did you live in Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Camden, Westminster, Greenwich or Islington at that time? Or have you heard your mum or aunt talk about a summer camp that they went on when they were young?  Or perhaps you were a member of staff working at this summer camp in 1971?

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire would like to hear from women and staff who joined the Stansted Summer School in 1971 at Gorsefield House.  It may seem a life-time ago but, forty years on, we’d like to hear about your memories and experiences of taking part at this innovative three-week summer school. 

If you or anyone you know attended this three-week summer school in 1971, we would like to hear from you.  Please contact Ruth Towell, Researcher on r.towell@herts.ac.uk or call her on 01707 286390