The Story of 50 Stories

Besides these events, we wanted to find a way for different members of our Archives Centre community to share in our celebrations throughout the year. We were eager to organise something that would showcase our collections and our organisation’s history. We wanted to hand over the creative reins to our contributors so they could decide which stories to record during our 50th year. After team discussions, the ‘50 stories for 50 years’ series was born. 

We designed ‘50 stories’ as a social media campaign to spotlight the stories told by our researchers, staff, and volunteers about their experiences at the Archives Centre. This series comprised a series of images, blogs, and interviews, which collectively showcased a chorus of voices within, and about, the Centre. 

Delving into the archive 

Some of our stories revolved around the discovery of an item within our collections, such as Michael Young’s field notes by one of our archivists, Sophie Bridges. In other stories, we joined researchers such as Dr Vicki Thoms, who went hunting for treasures on the history of dance in the papers of Alexander Cadogan and Diana Cooper. Some of our volunteers, such as Patrick-Ivan talked about encountering documents like the UN Security Council Minutes, which piqued his interest when box listing the collection of Davidson Nicol. 

Nominations varied in size from a biophysicist’s model to a fragile Second World War matchbox. Our contributors drew inspiration from various items, both objects and documents, such as slide rules, scrapbooks, sociological field notes, diaries, and children’s letters give a flavour of the array of items which inspired our contributors.

The chronology covered in the series was also expansive. One nomination, by Prof Mark Goldie, explored the list of rebels forming the ‘pitchfork army’ of the 1685 Monmouth Rebellion, while another, dating to three centuries later, spotlighted Stanley the cat, Margaret Thatcher’s toy feline friend which guarded her No.10 flat.

The series also showcased our researchers’ creativity when promoting our collections. Teacher and former MPhil student Will Brown shared how, from his American classroom, he took his students on a virtual field visit to the Archives Centre, courtesy of Google Earth and Churchill Archive for Schools. Dr Holly Swenson reflected on directing the inaugural performance of Lady Randolph Churchill’s play ‘Between the Devil and the Deep Sea’ here in college in 2018. 

As we were 

We also wanted to dig deeper into our story as an archive by interviewing former members of staff, volunteers, and some of our earliest readers (who consulted archival material in the Porters’ Lodge before we officially opened). Our College Records Officer, Paula Laycock, had been collecting valuable oral histories with former members of Archives staff for years. The 50 stories interviews were a little different; more informal in style, designed to last no more than two minutes for social media. 

The set-up for these interviews was simple; a list of questions, smartphone, tripod, and microphone – paired with wise advice from the College comms team. I started teaching myself about basic video-editing, quickly learning when I should have filmed more cut-away shots or thought more critically about lighting and sound. I also refined my interview style, allowing time for more spontaneous moments to occur beyond the list of prepared questions. 

Wandering into the stacks and returning to old offices, sparked memories of what work, places, and people. In an interview with Lesley Akeroyd, Archives Assistant from 1986 to 1990, we learnt about the origins of our tearoom, a space where we continue to meet at 10:30 for a cuppa and chat everyday. Lesley also brought along her own archive, including the newspaper clipping advertising her post, her first catalogue, and a glossy Archives Centre brochure. 

In another interview, Clare Brown, Archives Assistant from 1978 to 1980 shared what it was like to work as one of only a handful of staff at this new modern archive – which still awarded her staff gratuity in a brown envelope at Christmas. Clare reflected on lifelong friendships which began in the stacks, as well as the seeds of marriage planted in the college lunch queue. For both Lesley and Clare, working at Churchill marked the start of rewarding careers in the archives sector. 

We also spoke to our longest-serving volunteer Averil Condren, who shared her memories of volunteering with us in the 1990s. Averil gave us a flavour of how the Archives Centre transformed after acquiring the Churchill papers: ‘People felt that they were part of something that mattered, something that was important’. The timeliness of capturing these memories was poignantly brought home when just a few months after her final visit to the UK, Averil sadly passed away.  

For the next 50 years 

Our last story will see Hannah, Records Manager and College Archivist, share how she will deposit the products of the series in the College Archive. When it comes to our centenary in 2073, who knows what future archivists will think about our anniversary endeavours? Will they try to emulate them, say with 100 stories or snippets for 100 years, or simply see them as a quaint product of the 2020s? Only time will tell. 

In the meantime, we would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has helped to write the story of Churchill Archives Centre in its 50th year.  

Cherish Watton, Archives Assistant