Centuries old letter from John Ruskin uncovered in Shrewsbury school's archives
A mystery has been uncovered of a correspondence between one of the country's best watercolourists and art critics and girls at a Shrewsbury school.
The papers were uncovered by Shrewsbury High School librarian Alex Hale and now the race is on to discover why the 19th century social thinker and philanthropist John Ruskin was writing to girls at the school.
But the papers are in such poor condition – they are ripped, held together with selotape, and barely readable – that Miss Hale is in talks with conservators from Shropshire Archives to have the document properly deciphered and preserved so they can be displayed in the school.
The letter dates from 1886 and starts "My dear girls…". It is unknown why Ruskin, who died in 1900 at the age of 80, was writing to the girls at the school as links to Shropshire and the town are not documented.
If anybody can shed any light on why John Ruskin would have been in contact with Shropshire and the High School specifically then Miss Hale would love to know.
"It is a fascinating document from a historically important figure," she said. "It would be wonderful to find out what he had to say in this letter and why he appeared to have such affection for the girls at the school."
Shrewsbury High School was founded in 1885.
