University Archive

Restrictions on Access

Most University archival material is open for consultation. However, there are certain circumstances under which we may restrict access to individual items or collections. Reasons access may be restricted include:

Business Sensitivity

The University’s historical institutional records are held at the University Archive; due to the possibility that they may include information that is commercially sensitive they are usually closed for a 30-year period following their creation. 

Personal Data Protection

The University Archive holdings contain unpublished information about living people (data subjects,) for instance former and current staff or students, donors, enquirers, and researchers. That personal information is subject to data protection legislation and may be restricted. 

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Access to an item may be withheld if the item is in unfit condition, i.e. it is fragile and any handling of it may cause damage. Where the original item cannot be made available, if possible, alternative means of accessing the item’s contents, such as transcription or digital surrogates, will be considered.

Accession Agreements 

Some items or collections held by the University Archive are subject to access controls or restrictions by agreement with the donor or depositor of the material.  In entering into such agreements, the University will have regard to Freedom of Information legislation and will attempt as far as possible to keep to a minimum the period of restriction or control, subject to meeting the legitimate concerns of the donor or depositor. 

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Some of the material held by the Archive is subject to copyright.  Copyright can be held by a range of depositors including, but not limited to, the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, private individuals, estates or trusts and commercial entities. The University does not have the right to grant permission to reuse materials for which it does not hold the copyright. If visitors want to publish an image or a copy of a record, or share it in any way, they need to seek permission from the copyright holder. The University Archive will request proof of permission from the rights holder before supplying any high-resolution copy or image to share. 

Access to closed records is at the discretion of the Archivist and these will be considered on a case-by-case basis in consultation with appropriate professional colleagues. When access to items or collection is denied or restricted, reasons for doing so and conditions of restricted access will be explained in full.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has a long history as an institution of further and higher education. It originated from the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Technical Institute, set up by Leicestershire County Council in 1909 to provide local facilities for further education. Courses in science, art, and technology were taught in day and evening classes.

During the First World War, the Technical Institute, on the initiative of an energetic new Principal, Herbert Schofield, became an 'Instructional Factory' for the Ministry of Munitions. In addition to normal teaching, the College trained over 2000 men and women 'on production' for the munitions industry, making shell cases and machine parts in the College workshops.

Between the wars, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College (as it was renamed in 1920) expanded, attracting students from all over the world. It widened its reputation beyond engineering to athletics, handicrafts, and teacher training. In 1951-2 the College was divided into four separate institutions reflecting its main areas of interest. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Training College (later º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Education) provided teacher training; º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Art taught art and design; º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Further Education (now º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College) offered local and vocational training; and º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Technology continued its courses in science and engineering.

The College of Technology continued to train 'on production,' and by sandwich courses, and in 1957 was designated a College of Advanced Technology. In 1966 it was granted university status and received a royal charter as º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ of Technology. In 1977 the original structure was partly restored when the University and the College of Education were amalgamated. 1998 saw another chapter in the story when º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Art and Design was also reunited with º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.

The University Archives holds written, photographic, and other material relating to the University and its predecessor colleges, as well as papers of former staff and students. Catalogues and indexes of the collections are available in the Archives Room. 

Institutional archives cover administrative, financial, student registration and administration records, publications such as annual reports, financial statements, calendars and prospectuses, but also newspapers and magazines, as well as departmental prospectuses and syllabuses, course regulations, and works department drawings and production records. This is regarding the following bodies:

• º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College, 1909-52.
• º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Technology, 1952-66.
• º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Education, 1952-77.
• º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Art and Design, 1952-98.
• º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, 1966.

Other materials of interest include alumni and student union records, as well as donated papers, some of them from or relating to persons of interest such as:

J F Peck

John Frederick Peck (1897-1972) was Head of the Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering 1942-54 and became Head of the separated Department of Civil Engineering at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College of Technology 1954-62. His specialist field was hydraulic engineering, for which he won an international reputation. The fonds include student notebooks, photographs, lantern slides, and slides from circa 1915 to the 1960s.

Dan Maskell

Dan Maskell (1923-1992) was a tennis coach and commentator, winner of British Professional Championship sixteen between 1928 and 1951. The only Rehabilitation Officer ever appointed during World War Two as part of the Medical Rehabilitation Unit (MRU,) he remained famous as “the voice of Wimbledon,” working for the BBC till the mid-1970s. The fonds comprise scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, programmes, and books from Maskell’s personal library, from the 1920s to the 1990s.

“Bill” Pegg

Wilfrid Ernest Pegg (1910-1993) was a student and Lecturer in Civil Engineering (1945-1975.) Specialising in tunnels and bridges, he worked for the Trans-Iranian Railway and the London Underground. The fonds cover 1930 to 1980 and include scientific notes and drawings, photographs, and records relating to the Guild of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ of Technology.

H E Hopthrow

Harry Ewart Hopthrow (1896-1992) was a student and engineer. He served with the Royal Engineers during the Second World War, and as director of Fortifications and Works at the War Office in 1943-1945. He also worked for Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd (ICI) and was Secretary and President of the Royal Institution. The fonds comprise of student notebooks, technical drawings, photographs and memorabilia, for the 1920s and 1930s.

John Lucas

Born in 1937, John Lucas was a poet, critic and literary historian who was appointed as Professor of English and Drama at the University between 1977, till his retirement in 1996. The fonds include correspondence received by John Lucas from poets and authors, manuscript poems, plays, and published work, from circa 1930 to 1993.

F W Collins

Francis William Collins (1905-1989) was involved in the organisation of sports and athletics in the Navy and nationally. He taught at the AAA Summer Schools at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College in the 1930s and was responsible for organising the Olympic Torch Relay for the 1948 Olympic Games and founded the Torch Trophy trust in 1962. The fonds comprise Collins’ papers and Olympic memorabilia, from circa 1933 to 1964.

Peter Waals

Peter van der Waals (1870-1937) was a consultant in design at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College in the 1930s and was responsible for designing the furniture for Hazlerigg Hall and the panelling and furniture for the College Library and the Stadium Pavilion. The fonds consist of original designs and drawings, circa 1935.

Sir Denis Rooke

Sir Denis was Chancellor of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ from 1989 to 2003, an appointment he held while also serving as Chairman of British Gas Plc. Known as "Mr Gas Industry," Sir Denis was regarded as one of the all-time engineering greats in the 20th century. The fonds comprise records regarding º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ of Technology, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the National Museum of Science and Industry, The Royal Society, etc, as well as private papers and the corporate records of British Gas Plc and its predecessors. An extensive paper catalogue is available for in-person consultation.

While LUA is a collecting Archive, our main concern goes towards ensuring the long-term preservation of materials for all present and future users, to enjoy and learn from.

We enjoy hearing from past and present staff and students, members of the public, and organisations who would like to offer archival materials that have a connection to the University, and which can help us understand its history and long-lasting impact on people, as well as retell your stories and experiences. 

Please get in touch if you have materials that you would like to offer us. While we may not be able to accept everything we are offered (often for space and preservation reasons,) we would be pleased to know of them. In some cases, we may be able to suggest other repositories you can contact.

If there are materials that you’d like to show us, but are not quite ready to donate, we’d be grateful for an opportunity to see and discuss them with you, particularly in the case of students, staff, or location photographs, which we can scan and use as reference materials to enrich our understanding of the history of the University.

1. Ownership of Records

1.1 The donor confirms that he/she is the legal owner of the records and undertakes to provide proof of ownership if requested by LUA.

1.2 The donor confirms that he/she is free to donate the records to LUA without breaching the rights (including copyright) of any third party.

1.3 The donor confirms that by donating the records to LUA he/she gives up any rights to them, subject to any restrictions set out in the donation agreement.

1.4 By entering into the donation agreement the donor assigns any copyright in the records vested in him/her to LUA, unless otherwise stated in the donation agreement.

1.5 Ownership of such records and all associated rights and responsibilities are transferred by the donor to LUA.

2. General

2.1 LUA reserves the right to return records of no historical interest or, with the donor’s consent, to transfer them to a more appropriate repository or to destroy them.

2.2 LUA will not reveal details of the donor to third parties without their consent.

2.3 The donor is responsible for notifying LUA of any changes in contact details.

3. Conservation and Preservation

3.1 The records will be stored in a secure and suitable environment.

3.2 LUA will withhold access to records in a fragile condition or otherwise unsuitable for public reference until suitable remedial action has been taken.

3.3 LUA will undertake appropriate measures of preservation and conservation and reserves the right to create copies of the records donated in any format, subject to current copyright law.

4. Listing

4.1 The records will be listed as part of the LUA cataloguing programme.

4.2 They will be marked with reference codes for purposes of identification, security, and retrieval in such a way that will not damage the records.

4.3 A copy of the catalogue will be sent to the donor and to such other persons or bodies deemed appropriate.

4.4 Copyright of all finding aids created by LUA belongs to LUA.

4.5 Finding aids may be published on the web.

5. Access

5.1 Subject to any restrictions set out in the donation agreement or any statutory restrictions or periods of closure, the records will be made freely available to bona fide researchers.

5.2 The records may be loaned to other institutions for the purposes of temporary exhibitions at the discretion of the LUA.

5.3 Consultation of records will be in a supervised reading room during advertised opening hours and in accordance with the regulations for the use of LUA.

6. Publication, Reproduction and Copyright

6.1 At the discretion of LUA, copies may be provided to the public for study and research purposes in accordance with current copyright and data protection legislation.

6.2 Permission to publish in full, or in extract, from records donated to LUA will be granted by the Archivist, unless stated otherwise in the donation agreement.

6.3 LUA reserves the right to publish donated records in whole or in part in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ publications, on the web, or by way of other electronic formats unless stated otherwise in the donation agreement.

6.4 All acknowledgements in publications or other media should be to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. The donor will not be individually acknowledged, unless otherwise stated in the donation agreement.

7. Exhibitions and Lectures

7.1 Records may be required for exhibitions or to illustrate talks and lectures by LUA or by other staff of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. They may be displayed in original or copy form at the discretion of LUA, unless otherwise stated in the donation agreement.

8. Legal

8.1 The Agreement for Donation and Terms of Donation shall be governed and construed according to the law of England and Wales.

8.2 For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in the Agreement or Terms of Donation shall confer on any third party any benefit or right to enforce any provision thereof.