Churchill College’s Governing Body has voted in favour of plans to build a new Churchill Archives Centre within the Grounds of the College. This vote took place after a period of consultation with the College community, summary information from which is attached. Proceeding with this ambition is subject to the funding being raised and agreement on its placement.
The intention is that the Churchill Archives Centre will remain on site at the College, and the Churchill Archives Centre Director, Allen Packwood, will now be moving forward with the creation of a project delivery group and the launch of the development campaign to support this work, which will seek to raise funds from sources that would be unavailable to the College for other purposes, and as such would not divert funds that could otherwise support College activity.
A new building for the Archives Centre will also provide a major opportunity to repurpose the existing Centre building, which is in the heart of the College, as a student hub to enhance our provision of library, teaching, tutorial, welfare, and social spaces.
The Archives Centre is a nationally and internationally recognised repository and research institute that forms a unique and highly successful part of Churchill College. It now holds 640 collections and in the College year 2024–25 engaged with over 4000 individuals. The Centre has accredited status with the National Archives and the Churchill Papers collection has been inscribed on the UNESCO International Register of the Memory of the World. The Archives Centre has grown to become an important resource for the study of modern history from the late nineteenth century to the present day. The Centre exists to preserve these unique collections and make the materials available to a wide range of audiences. It does this in a variety of ways: in-person in the reading rooms, online, through academic and public engagement projects, and through research in books, journal articles, and other publications.