HERTIAGE
In July 2014 Helen Williams and Teresa
Lawlor returned to Keele. They were
among the first children to live on
campus during the 1950s. Theirs was a
childhood spent playing in the woods,
watching the campus begin its own
journey to maturity. Here is their story...
A campus made for kids
In 1950 we were five years old when our
fathers joined the academic staff at a brand
new university. Keele’s campus was a paradise
for children. The red Keele mud (we lived in
wellingtons) and the heavily overgrown woods
and lanes around the lakes provided the
perfect playground.
Tricycles could be raced down the road to
the chapel. Rhododendrons were ideal for
constructing dens. Crawling through the
undergrowth brought the exciting discovery
of a secret lake and our excavations near the
tunnel uncovered sections of decorated tile
that we were convinced were of Roman origin.
72 | Keele University