University of Manchester Wardens' Conference Records

  • Reference
    • GB 133 WCO
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1929-1995
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 145 items 0.1 li.m.
  • Location
    • Collection available at University Archive and Records Centre, main University Library.

Scope and Content

Minutes of the Warden's conference; some of which are signed. The earliest minutes of the Conference are missing, as are the minutes from post-1995.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Wardens Conference is believed to have been established in the 1920s. Its original membership comprised heads of University halls (Ashburne, Ellis Llwyd Jones), independent halls (Dalton, Hulme, St Anselm, St Gabriel's and Langdale) and the theological training colleges (Lancashire Independent College, Unitarian College) which provided residence for some University of Manchester students. At this date, the University's relationship with the halls did not usually involve direct management, and there was only limited coordinating action through the University's heads of halls committee.

The purpose of the Conference (originally known as the Meeting) was to bring heads of halls together on a regular basis to discuss matters of common interest. Typically, these would include finance and fees, regulations for resident students and issues of discipline, and inter-hall relations. The Conference aimed to discover and promote areas of commonality between the halls (at a time when these could diverge significantly). The Conference generally met termly and was chaired by one of the heads of hall. University officials had no official representation in Conference meetings.

In the post-war period, there were significant changes to student residence, as many of the traditional University halls came under direct University management, and many new halls and residences were established (some of which operated on different principles to the traditional halls). These included: Woolton, Needham, Oak House, Linton, Greygarth, Moberly, Whitworth Park, Bowden and Grosvenor, as well as the UMIST halls Hardy Farm, Chandos and Wright Robinson. Owens Park was not initially represented, but by the late 1970s it was sending a representative. Increasingly the Conference worked more closely with the University Accommodation Committee on a common University residence strategy. The Conference is believed to have continued meeting up to 2004.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically

Access Information

The collection is open to any accredited reader unless otherwise stated.

The collection includes material which is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018. The University of Manchester Library (UML) holds the right to process personal data for archiving and research purposes according to the provisions of the Act. In accordance with the DPA, UML has made every attempt to ensure that all personal and sensitive personal data has been processed fairly, lawfully and accurately. Users of the archive are expected to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, and will be required to sign a form acknowledging that they will abide by the requirements of the Act in any further processing of the material by themselves.

Conditions Governing Use

Photocopies and photographic copies of material in the archive can be supplied for private study purposes only, depending on the condition of the documents.

A number of items within the archive remain within copyright under the terms of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988; it is the responsibility of users to obtain the copyright holder's permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study.

Prior written permission must be obtained from the Library for publication or reproduction of any material within the archive. Please contact the Head of Special Collections, John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

Custodial History

Most of the minutes were part of an accession from Hulme Hall deposited at the University Archives on 14 March 2008.

Accruals

Accruals possible.

Related Material

The University Archives also holds archives of individual halls: Dalton-Ellis, Hulme, St Anselm, St Gabriel's and Langdale (currently not Ashburne), as well as the records of the University sessional committees which supervised the University-owned halls. The Heads of Halls Committee had a more formal role than the Wardens' Conference in implementing University policies for the residential halls: USC/16; see also the minutes of the Accommodation Committee USC/22

Geographical Names