About The project

Students from the History and Heritage super curricular group have carried out a research project about Eugénie de Montijo, the last Empress of France and wife of Napoleon III. She lived in Farnborough for the last 40 years of her life, and is an important figure in our local history as well as European, 19th Century and women's history.

We have used portraits from a range of archives and collections alongside other sources. Students used the project to develop skills they were introduced to on a workshop at the National Portrait Gallery where they learned how to use portraits as a primary source. Students have used these sources to provide an overview of Eugénie's life as Empress in France and also as Empress-in-exile in Farnborough.

We are lucky to have very rich history and heritage in our local area, and we hope that our project helps to put our immediate local area in its historical context. Within a 5 minute walk of Farnborough Sixth Form College are Napoleon Avenue, Empress Avenue, St Michael's Road and Pierrefondes Avenue, all of which were named for their connections to Eugénie. If you walk from College to Farnborough Main Station you will also walk past Farnborough Hill School where Eugénie lived, and can see St Michael's Abbey on the opposite hill.

We hope you enjoy reading about Eugénie and the primary sources connected with her.