Archives Hub feature for November 2024

Visitors to University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections are sometimes surprised to discover that we hold much by the way of a historic institutional archive: surely as one of the new universities of the post-war era, built on a greenfield site in the Surrey Hills, our records can only go back so far? Yet although the University was established in 1966, its history dates back over half a century earlier, when it existed as the Battersea Polytechnic – and we are immensely fortunate to hold a rich and varied archive collection from this predecessor era.

The history of the Polytechnic dates to the late-nineteenth century. Founded in 1891 as the Battersea Polytechnic Institute, it was originally a very different sort of institution from a modern university. Trades-focused evening classes predominated the teaching offering, with few students studying for degree-level qualifications. There were even secondary schools run out of the Polytechnic during the daytime!

Over the course of the early twentieth century however, the proportion of students undertaking advanced study for University of London degrees steadily grew, and the Polytechnic gained a reputation for expertise on scientific and technical subjects. In 1956, the Polytechnic was recognised as a College of Advanced Technology, and it was renamed Battersea College of Technology the following year. The College continued to go from strength to strength, and following the 1963 Robbins Report – which called for the expansion of higher education in the United Kingdom – it was recommended that Battersea should become a new University in its own right.

Our Battersea Collections

The Battersea Polytechnic Archive comprises original records and papers spanning the entire length of the institutions’ history. Key series within the archive include: formal records of the governing body; regular publications such as the Calendars (Prospectuses) and the Annual Reports of the Principal; records of Battersea Students’ Union, which offer a fantastic insight into student life at the Polytechnic; records relating to the foundation of the University of Surrey and the move to Guildford; and an extensive collection of photographs showcasing the history of the Polytechnic, its staff and students.

In addition to the institutional archive, we also hold the Remembering Battersea Oral History Collection. This fantastic resource arose out of a project run by the University of Surrey between 2014 and 2016 with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with the aim of recording and preserving the experiences of the last generations of Battersea students and staff from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Comprising over 70 interviews, the collection provides wonderful insights into life at Battersea: from experiences of living in student digs to recollections of anarchic RAG Week activities, including the infamous Head of the Lake contest on Battersea Park Boating Lake.

Exploring the Polytechnic Archive

Our collections on Battersea Polytechnic are a great resource for studying the University’s past – but they also have a far greater research potential. The archive can be used for studying the history of education: for instance, publication series such as the Calendars provide a detailed overview of how academic disciplines and methods of study evolved over the early twentieth century.

Likewise, the Polytechnic’s records have much to offer for researchers looking at histories of youth and student culture: the meeting minutes and publications of the Students’ Union provide a fascinating insight into student perspectives and attitudes from different eras. Our oral history interviews also offer first-hand accounts of students’ experiences during the rapid social change of the post-war era: the recordings provide detailed accounts of students’ working and social lives, and how their experiences were shaped by attitudes towards gender and class.

The Battersea Polytechnic Archive is also surprisingly international in character: the sets of student registration cards from the middle of the century reveal a student population drawn from around the world. Reports of international events in the student magazines Polygon and Bat-Chat likewise suggest a student body proud of its international ties.

Of particular note are the records of the Polish University College. Established in the 1940s by the Polish Government in Exile, the Polish University College was an important base for many Polish academics and scientists opposed to the Soviet-backed post-war Polish government. The College was absorbed into Battersea Polytechnic in the early 1950s, and some of the records of this unique institution survive within the archive.  

Discovering Battersea Stories

Working on the Polytechnic Archive, one is always struck by an awareness of all the individual stories of past students and staff contained within. We’ve worked with the University’s alumni team to support outreach events for Battersea graduates and their families, using our collections to help people reconnect with their memories of their student days. The archive is also a great resource for family history research, and we’re always happy to assist with genealogical enquiries.

Perhaps nowhere is this sense of an archive of individual stories more striking than in the Polytechnic’s records from the First World War. Large numbers of Battersea students served in the conflict, and the pages of Battersea Polytechnic Magazine are filled with glimpses into their experiences: reports of action and bravery; letters sent back from those on the front (stripped of any information that might inadvertently help the enemy); and, sadly, lists of those who died in the fighting. These accounts provide a solemn but important record of the sacrifices made by the students of the Polytechnic, and we have used these stories from the archive to support the University’s Remembrance activities.

The University of Surrey is proud of its roots in Battersea, and in the Archives & Special Collections team we’re always on the look-out for ways to make our Battersea collections more accessible. Work is currently underway to improve access to the Battersea Polytechnic Archive, including making previously uncatalogued items available to the public for the first time. We also regularly take in donations of keepsakes and memorabilia from former students and their families, so that these incredibly important personal stories of Battersea are preserved for future generations.

Simon Mackley
Archivist
University of Surrey Archives & Special Collections

Related

Descriptions of other archives held by University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections can be found on Archives Hub here: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/locations/5c9a11a1-d2e4-33c6-9161-1238e0ee2635

All images copyright University of Surrey. Reproduced with the kind permission of the copyright holders.