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1913 OFFICIAL PAID-ST JAMES PALACE invitation BUCKINGHAM palace. Lady F Campbell

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1913 Envelope OFFICIAL PAID- & LORD CHAMBERLAIN/CROWN/ST JAMES PALACE Postal authority handstamp for Royal Household mail with invitation to an afternoon party at BUCKINGHAM PALACE. addressed to Lady Francis Campbell, , Royal Normal College for the Blind, Upper Norwood St, with GvR M under crown on invitation card.

Lady Campbell (formerly Miss Sophia E. Faulkner), married to Sir Francis Campbell, co-founder of the Royal Normal School for the Blind

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is a co-educational specialist residential college of further education based in the English city of Hereford. Students who attend the college are aged 16 to 25 and blind or partially sighted. They can study a wide range of qualifications at RNC, from academic subjects such as English and Mathematics to more vocational topics such as Massage and Complementary Therapies. Alongside regular further education subjects and vocational training, the college offers training in mobility, assistive technology, Braille, independent living skills and personal development.

Founded in 1872[4] in London as the Royal Normal College and Academy for the Blind, the college had a number of homes before moving to its campus in Hereford; it was renamed The Royal National College for the Blind in the late 1970s. It has been a pioneer in the education of visually impaired people in Britain since the Victorian era, and, as of 2010, is the only college for visually impaired students in the United Kingdom to have been awarded Beacon Status in recognition of its outstanding teaching and learning.

RNC hosts the UK's first VI SPORTS Academy, having begun as the home of the first football academy for visually impaired players and the England blind football team. It hosted the 2010 World Blind Football Championship and also served as a training facility for participants in the 2012 Paralympic Games. The college is actively involved in the development of assistive technology, including student participation in the Tech Novice Cafe, run for members of the public who are not confident in computer use. Two notable devices were developed at RNC; the Mountbatten Brailler, an electronic braille writer, and the T3, a talking tactile device that helped with the reading of maps and diagrams.

Early in the 21st century, there was dramatic departmental restructuring at the college, and a significant redevelopment and modernisation of the Hereford campus. The campus, located on Venns Lane, Hereford, is home to RNC's teaching, residential and leisure facilities. Students live in halls of residence, which enable them to gain a level of independence within the college environment. RNC operates a leisure facility, thePoint4, which is open to the public.

The college is a registered charity (number 1000388), and its patron is Charles, Prince of Wales. There are several high-profile supporters, including Dave Clarke, former captain of the England and Great Britain blind football teams. RNC has a number of notable people among its alumni, including former Home Secretary David Blunkett. The college was the subject of a 2007 film for the Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary strand, which followed three students through their first term of study. The film won a 2008 Royal Television Society Award.

The college was established in 1871 by the English philanthropist Thomas Rhodes Armitage and the American anti-slavery campaigner Francis Joseph Campbell, who lost his sight as a young boy.Campbell had originally planned to establish a college for the blind in the United States, but was persuaded by Armitage that London would be a more suitable location.[7] At the time, English schools for the blind did not provide their students with the skills to become independent and, dissatisfied with this situation, Armitage dreamed of establishing a school whose emphasis was on music and which would prepare its students for careers as organists, piano tuners, and music teachers.

Originally located in two small buildings on Anerley Hill near London's Crystal Palace, the college later moved to larger accommodation at Westow Street, Upper Norwood where the name "College Green" commemorates the college – its grounds are now Westow Park – after rapidly outgrowing its original premises.[5] In its early days, the college was considered very progressive and experimental in its approach to education.[9][11] A history of the college on its website describes the curriculum as "liberal and advanced for its day",[9] and emphasis was placed on physical activities such as swimming, cycling and roller-skating.[11] Students even took part in a morning of tobogganing following a heavy fall of snow.[11] By the end of the 19th century, the college had over 200 students.[9] Until the Second World War the college admitted 11- to 15-year-olds, but in 1945 the principal of RNC and headmaster of Worcester College for the Blind came to an agreement that Worcester would provide secondary education and RNC would take students over the age of 16.

As well as being one of its founders, Francis Joseph Campbell served as RNC's first principal, from 1871 until his retirement in 1912.[9] He was knighted as a Knight Bachelor by King Edward VII in 1909,[6][13] for his services to blind people.[8] He was succeeded by his son, Guy Marshall Campbell, and following his death in 1929 Guy's widow, Louie Bealby Campbell took over the position.[9] The role of principal passed outside the Campbell family for the first time upon Louie Bealby Campbell's retirement in 1934.

Famous people	Lady Francis Campbell
City/Town/Village	London
Addressed To	Lady Francis Campbell
Vintage	Yes
Cancellation Type	Official Paid Mail
Royal	George V (1910-1936)
Royal Residence	St James Palace
Royalty	UK Royalty
Related Interest 3	Buckingham Palea Garden Party
Era	George V (1910-1936)
Postmark Type	Royalty, Royal Household Postal Authority handstamps
Year	1913
Type	Envelope & Invitation card
Document Type	Envelope Posted
Related Interests 2	Royal College for the Blind