Annual Report of
The Churchill Archives Centre
2010-11
Introduction by the Director
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This year has seen Churchill’s papers contribute to a conference
publication in Singapore, an exhibition in Spain and a symposium for
US high school teachers in Cambridge, while plans have been
advanced to exhibit his papers in New York, and operations have
commenced on the digitisation and on-line publication of his
archive: a project with the potential to transcend all national
boundaries. In addition, we have continued with the digitisation of
the papers of Lady Thatcher, have opened her papers for 1980 and
have hosted a heavily reported lecture by Sir John Major, at which
he formally announced that his own archive was being deposited
within the Centre. Moreover this has all taken place against the
backdrop of record numbers of readers accessing the collections.
New collections: summary
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Large new collections: Jonathan Aitken; Professor Sir Aaron Klug;
and Wayland Young (2nd Lord Kennet) [these collections represent
circa 460, 200 and 120 archive boxes respectively before
appraisal/weeding]
Small but important new collections: diary of Lady Randolph
Churchill for 1882 with other items from Mrs Peregrine Churchill;
Professor Sir Robert Edwards (see next slide); and papers of Hugh
Lunghi who was an interpreter for Churchill at various wartime
conferences
Important additions to collections: Winston S. Churchill; Robin Cook;
Lord Kinnock; and Sir Alan Walters)
New collections: Hugh Lunghi
Lunghi’s passes for the Yalta and Berlin wartime conferences
New collections: Professor Sir
Robert Edwards
“Bob” Edwards, a Fellow of Churchill
College, was awarded the Nobel Prize for
the development of IVF in 2010, and
knighted in 2011
Example of an incubation jar on loan to the Centre,
with the Edwards’ papers
Conservation of Collections
Paper and Photographs
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Pitt- Rivers lantern slides and photograph albums (cleaned, interleaved, rehoused)
Hailsham material ‘fisherized’ (bound) and paper repairs (deacidification
and physical support)
Hasted (class 2) – several hundred pages of unfit material made fit for use
by cleaning and minimal paper repairs (reader demand)
College Archives (CCAC/123/4/3) – one large college poster which
underwent full conservation, including washing
Hailsham binding
Hasted 2 before conservation
CCAC/123/4/3 being washed
Conservation of Collections
Audiovisual
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A project to conserve and digitise the gramophone
records within our collections has been part completed.
This has been an exciting collaboration between the
conservators and the College Audiovisual technicians
involving careful cleaning of the discs, archival packaging
and copying using special equipment.
Before cleaning
After cleaning
Digital copying
Preservation of Collections
Specialist packaging
Many boxes have been custom-made this
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year for volumes and photograph albums,
including phase boxes, folded boxes and
cloth-covered drop spine boxes. Volumes in
Pitt-Rivers, Born, Leeper, Thatcher, AV Hill
and Peregrine Churchill have been boxed,
with other repair work also being applied to
some of these.
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Preservation Packaging
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Retrospective archival packaging by
conservation staff and archives
assistants is completed or is on-going
in the following collections: Roskill,
Fisher, Churchill Papers (CHUR 2,
CHUR 3, CHUR 4) Phipps, Wemyss and
Bevin (section I)
Items in Born and the college archive have
required padded artefact boxes, seals bags,
encapsulation and packaging for rolled
storage.
Staff Training
All staff received full refresher training in
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Safe Handling of Documents, May 2011
Making a cloth covered box
Buildings & Disaster Prevention
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We continue to monitor insects,
light, temperature and humidity in
the stores and overall, conditions
have been good.
Significant improvements have
been made to our building
management by:
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Logging of maintenance work
through a new Shared calendar
Inergen system reconfiguration
Internal humidity bottle
checking/replacing
BMS links and understanding of
the archiving of the data from
BMS
Shelving repairs
Graph showing conditions in New Wing,
March 2011
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All staff and porters received full
refresher training in our Disaster
Contingency Plan, November 2010
Processing Collections
Lord Hailsham
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A further 208 boxes of speeches, broadcasts and Conservative Party
papers have been catalogued and prepared for opening in September 2011.
This brings to a close the main phase of the project and means a total of
802 boxes have been catalogued in detail and made available to
researchers since the first release in 2008.
Processing Collections
Lord Kinnock of Bedwellty
The Kinnock Papers are now fully catalogued, with 300
further boxes having been catalogued this year,
including 275 videos and a new accession of later
material which arrived in March.
Processing Collections
Lord Amery of Lustleigh
Work is under way on the papers of the Conservative minister Julian
Amery; the majority of his political and ministerial papers have now
been catalogued (81 boxes up to June 2011).
Processing Collections
Professor Max Born
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The full catalogue was completed in Feb. 2011 (84
boxes).
Following consultation with the Born family in May, and
the incorporation of 3 boxes of new material in July/Aug,
the collection will be opened to researchers in October.
Processing Collections
Smaller Cataloguing Projects
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Churchill record collection
Enoch Powell additional material
Peregrine Churchill additional material
Material associated with Professor Sir
Robert Edwards and albums kept by his
secretary Barbara Rankin
Kingsland Papers (18 boxes)
Processing Collections
Special Projects
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British Diplomatic Oral History Project
Completed interviews:
Sir Anthony Brenton, Ambassador to Russia, 2004–08.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, FCO,
2009–10.
Sir Nicholas Fenn, High Commissioner in New Delhi, 1991-1996.
Sir John Margetson, Ambassador to UN, 1983–84 and Ambassador to the
Netherlands, 1984–87
Sir Hayden Phillips, Assistant Under-Secretary of State, Home Office, 1981–86
John Willson, High Commissioner in Zambia, 1988-90.
Elisabeth Young
Interviews from 2011 still being processed:
Sir Patrick Fairweather, Ambassador to Italy and Albania, 1992-96
Sir David Manning (Foreign Policy Adviser to Prime Minister, and Head of Defence
and Overseas Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 2001–03)
Churchill College Archive
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Outreach: 107 alumni visited a display
during re-union weekend, and college
archive material was also used in
celebrations of the 50th anniversary of
the Boat Club and to remember the life
of Canon Noel Duckworth. March 2010
saw our 4th “Churchill Quiz” attended by
32 undergrads (see photo, right).
Information in the collection is used to
inform and support Churchill College.
There has been a steady flow of
enquiries and requests for information
from members of the college, including
detailed work with the Maintenance
Manager using architectural plans which
has led to financial savings for the
college.
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The collection was used in the reading
room by 13 researchers, using 36 files.
Cataloguing continues: 71 files this year
plus routine processing of regular
deposits from administrative staff. The
college archivist also advises college staff
with records management.
New accessions to the college archive
include a DVD copy of a cinefilm of
student life 1961-64 plus other material
from early alumni prompted by the
college’s 50th anniversary.
Special Projects
The Churchill Archive On-line
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July 2010: deal signed with
Bloomsbury Academic to publish
Churchill Papers online.
End June 2011: pilot digitisation of
Churchill microfilm successful;
Transmedia selected as digitisation
partner; structure for website set up;
and process for copyright clearance in
place.
Summer 2012: Bloomsbury to bring
Sir Winston Churchill into libraries,
schools and homes worldwide.
Find out more:
http://www.churchillarchive.com/
Special Projects
Digitisation of the Thatcher Papers
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Archives Centre staff
and Transmedia
management before
signing contract to
digitise the collection.
By the end of June
2011 circa 700,000
images scanned.
Accessing Collections
The Reading room
No of readers
Document requests
600
500
400
New readers
Existing readers
300
200
100
0
2009-10
2010-11
10000
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
Other Collections
Churchill
2009-10
2010-11
Accessing Collections
The Reading room
Nationalities
Total daily visits
400
1800
1600
1400
350
300
1200
1000
250
200
800
600
400
150
100
200
0
50
0
2009-10
UK
US/Canada
Europe
Other
Joint
Not given
2010-11
Accessing Collections
Level of Use of Collections
Top 10 collections by number of readers
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
CH
AR
CH
UR
TH
CR
AM
E
L
DS
ND
PO
LL
HL
SM
&
HN
K
NB
KR
Y&
KN
NK
AM
EJ
BE
VN
Accessing Collections
Level of Use of Collections
Top 10 collections by no of files produced
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
CHAR
THCR
KNNK
CHUR
AMEL
MSTN
RVJO
DSND
FISR
POLL
Accessing Collections
Usage of our Websites
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We have looked at different ways of gathering information about the use of online
resources this year and last. This has led to questions which are as yet unresolved
about the reliability of the statistics, especially the degree to which they do not reflect
genuine use of the site because they include use by robots. So this year, we have
decided to report general trends and observations.
Most of our catalogues are now used online on the Janus website. Use of Archives
Centre catalogues on Janus is down about 26% this year, in line with use of the site
in general. Possible explanations for the dip in quantity are that more visits by robots
have been excluded from the statistics and also that Google now send more users to
other information sources such as Wikipedia. However the quality of the user
experience has improved and is evidenced by an increased amount of time spent by
users on our pages.
Use of the Churchill catalogue appeared to be up significantly last year but this spike
seems bogus. This year use has been more steady, in line with 2008-2009 figures,
showing about 6,000 searches a month.
This year the main Archives Centre website (not counting the Churchill catalogue)
received (from Analog) 376,679 requests for pages (about 30,000 a month), a drop
of 14% from last year. In line with previous years, c 57% of those were for our
collections pages, c 30% for the education pages.
Promoting Research
The Archives By-Fellowship
Michaelmas 2010 - Dr Richard Carr, with award of a By-Fellowship grant by the
Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
Post-doctoral research topic: ‘The Conservative Party and Economic Slumps from
Bonar Law to Cameron’
Lent 2011 - Professor Vladimir Pechatnov, Professor and Chair of European and
American Studies at Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Research topic: ‘Stalin-Churchill Correspondence during World War II’
Easter 2011 - Professor Jonathan Hart, Director of Comparative Literature and
Professor of English and Comparative Literature at University of Alberta
Completing a book on ‘Winston Churchill, Writer’
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Professor Pechatnov
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Professor Hart
Promoting Research
Contributing to Publication
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Release of key sections
from Margaret Thatcher's
personal & political papers
for 1980 on official website
of the Thatcher Foundation,
www.margaretthatcher.org
Margaret Thatcher’s conference speech, October 1980
Promoting Research
Key works added to Roskill Library
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David Edgerton, Britain’s war machine: weapons,
resources and experts in the Second World War
David Ramsay, ‘Blinker Hall’, spymaster
Mary Lovell, The Churchills, a family at the heart of
history
Barry Gough, Marder, Roskill & battles for naval history
Plus five post-graduate dissertations on newly opened
sections of the Thatcher papers
Promoting Collections
Group and VIP Visits
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The Centre entertained many high profile College guests including HRH The Sultan of Selangor,
His Excellency The Chinese Ambassador (pictured), the Vice Chancellor, Mr William Gates Snr and
Lord Sainsbury.
The Centre hosted many group visits, including: College Admission and Open Days, members of
the Hailsham family, trainee Librarians, the Sutton Trust summer school, the University of Florida
summer school, business groups hosted by the Møller Centre including several Chinese
delegations , Open Cambridge Weekend and Heritage Open Day, the University Alumni Weekend,
the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, undergraduate history groups, The Rt Hon. Lord Howard of
Lympne, Mr Hugh Bourn, Shell Pensioners, the Harrow Association, Bodleian Library staff, former
secretaries to Lady Thatcher, Cambridge U3A, the Friends of the Imperial War Museum, and the
National Churchill Museum of the United States.
Use of collections in exhibitions
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Exhibition “Churchill et la France”, 10 June-23 September 2010, Centre
Culturel de l'Entente Cordiale, Château d'Hardelot, Condette, France.
Supply of facsimiles
“Winston Churchill y España: 1874 – 1965, caminando con el destino” Sala
El Águila, Madrid, 25 March - 5 June 2011. Loan of original documents and
supply of facsimiles
“Science and Technology at Churchill College” exhibition, 11 October- 3
December 2010. Facsmilies from Bullard, Bondi, Hewish, Hawthorne
collection, including Bullard’s drawing of the earth’s magnetic field
Photographic exhibition “Churchill Finest Hour 1940-1945”, marking the
70th anniversary of Winston Churchill's visit to Bristol in 1941. May – June,
Bristol Central Library. Facsimiles
“WeltWissen - 300 Jahre Wissenschaft in Berlin”. Martin-Gropius-Bau,
Berlin, 8 September 2010 – 11 January 2011. Original loaned from Meitner
papers.
Media use of collections
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Coast series 6, Programme 6: Programme on the east coast of
Sweden, feature on the Anglo-Swedish ball bearing run during the
Second World War. Binn 5/7 Photograph of George Binney and the
crew of the Tai Shan after breaking the blockade, Jan. 1941.
Discovery Channel television programme called “Inventions that
shook the world”. Photograph of Sir Robert Hardingham.
Blakeway production programme about Nobel 2010. Photographs of
Bob Edwards.
Documentary by the Turkish Broadcasting Corporation. Letter from
WSC to Enver Pasha.
Special Events
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On 26th November 2010, The Rt Hon. Sir John Major, former Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, marked the announcement of the transfer of his papers to the
Archives Centre with a lecture which both reflected on his years in politics and
speculated on the future. His remarks, including his endorsement of the current
coalition Government, were published in the Daily Telegraph. The arrival of his
personal papers, though they are yet to be conserved and catalogued, means that
the Archives Centre is, by at least some measures, the nearest UK equivalent to three
US Presidential Libraries.
Promoting Education
Return of the US High School Teachers
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From 11-24 July 2010 the Churchill Archives Centre once
again played host to a symposium organised by The
International Churchill Centre for 24 North American
High School Teachers. The groups was hosted by
Professor James Muller, University of Alaska, and Mrs
Suzanne Sigman, and all participants were involved in
producing lesson plans or presentations derived from the
collections of the Archives Centre. The symposium was
funded by a grant from the US National Endowment for
the Humanities.
Promoting the Collections
Archives Blog
To date, the blog contains posts on the following:
„ Opening of 1980 Thatcher papers
„ Winston Churchill’s record collection
„ House books of Lady Randolph Churchill
„ The Discovery and Significance of the George PittRivers Papers
„ Cataloguing of the Kinnock Papers
„ Graduation day
„ Arrival of Jack Churchill’s papers
Archives Centre Staff
The staffing of the Archives Centre during 2010/2011 was as follows:
„ Mr Allen Packwood (Director)
„ Ms Natalie Adams (Senior Archivist – part-time)
„ Mr Andrew Riley (Senior Archivist)
„ Ms Sarah Lewery (Conservator)
„ Ms Sophie Bridges (Archivist)
„ Miss Katharine Thomson (Archivist)
„ Mrs Julie Sanderson (Archives Administrator – part-time)
„ Ms Laure Cinquin (Archives Assistant – part-time from 21 March 11)
„ Mrs Caroline Herbert (Archives Assistant – part-time until 31 Jan 11)
„ Dr Lynsey Robertson (Archives Assistant)
„ Ms Madelin Terrazas (Archives Assistant)
„ Ms Bridget Warrington (Conservation Assistant – part-time)
Archives Centre Volunteers
Charlotte Redford (Perse School for Girls) 19-23 July 2010
„ Victoria Cann (University of East Anglia) 9-11 August 2010
„ Eleanor Bland (Stephen Perse Sixth Form College) 18-24 August 2010
„ Alexandra Fletcher (Stephen Perse Sixth Form College) 25 August-2 September 2010
„ Heidi Egginton (Newnham College, Cambridge) 15 October-3 December 2010
„ Felix Aspin (Perse School) 10-14 January 2011
„ Danielle Lawne (Marist College) 19 January-23 March 2011
„ Damian Fletcher (Conservation Volunteer) 8 April-7 July 2011
„ Lily Bliss (St Mary’s School) 27 June-1 July 2011
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Archives Centre Governance
Archives Committee
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Dr Frank King - Chairman
Professor Christopher Andrew
Sir John Boyd KCMG
Miss Elizabeth Cain
Professor David Edgerton
Dr Phil Gaskell
Dr Mark Goldie
Mr Bradley Hart
Professor Melissa Hines
Professor Anthony Kelly CBE FRS
Dr Frank King
Dr Sean Lang
Professor Simon Laughlin FRS
Mr Malcolm McBain LVO
Mr Allen Packwood
Professor David Reynolds FBA
Mr Iain Sproat
Dr Pieter van Houten
Archives Centre Governance
Archives Centre Trusts
The Sir Winston Churchill Archive Trust (SWCAT):
Owns and administers the Churchill Papers collection on behalf of the Nation.
Chair: Dr Alice Prochaska
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http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx
?RegisteredCharityNumber=1045646&SubsidiaryNumber=0
The Margaret Thatcher Archive Trust (MTAT):
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Owns and administers the Thatcher Papers collection
Chair: Mr Julian Seymour, CBE
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx
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?RegisteredCharityNumber=1061822&SubsidiaryNumber=0
The Churchill College Archives Trust (CCAT):
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Administers an endowment fund supporting the work of the Archives Centre
Chair: The Master of Churchill College
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx
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?RegisteredCharityNumber=273633&SubsidiaryNumber=0
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Follow links to Charity Commission website for further information, names of Trustees and reports, or
ask Director of the Archives Centre for further information.
Archives Centre Finance
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In the College financial year 2010-11, the
Churchill Archives Centre used its income and
endowments to meet an operating cost of
£537,659. This includes £50,000 spent on the
project to digitise the Thatcher Papers.
The grant from Churchill College remained £1,
though the Archives Centre remains grateful for
the indirect support that it receives from other
College departments, members and officers.
Archives Centre Support
Patrons and Friends
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Mr Douglas N Daft continued to act as the
Chairman of the Patrons of the Churchill
Archives Centre and hosted a lunch in London
and a dinner in New York.
The Archives Centre remains enormously
grateful for the support it gets from its
international network of Patrons and Friends.
Lists and further details are available on request
from the Director.
Last year £120,664.01 was received in
donations.