Remembering Battersea Oral History Collection

The collection comprises the outputs of the 'Remembering Battersea' oral history project led by the University of Surrey Alumni and Development Department. It consists of digital recordings of the interview sessions, some of which have been transcribed.

The project's aim was to capture the memories of former students who attended the University's predecessor bodies, Battersea Polytechnic and Battersea College of Technology. The recordings cover Battersea Polytechnic in the 1940s, through to the 1950s when it became a College of Advanced Technology, then the change to a University into the 1960s and the building of the campus in Guildford. In the interviews, alumni respond to questions covering a range of student experiences including: social events, social life, student accommodation, sports competitions, student societies, the Students' Union, World War Two, political changes, course content, work placements, and memorable lecturers.

The Remembering Battersea oral history project (which was originally known as the 'My Battersea Story' project) was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and led by the University of Surrey Alumni and Development Department.

Oral history interviews have been catalogued in alphabetical order by surname.

The interviews are available to consult in the University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections Research Room.

Access to some interviews may be restricted, for instance where sensitive personal data has been identified, or in order to comply with any conditions stipulated in the recording agreement. The Archives team will advise of any restrictions that may be in place. Where appropriate and practical, researchers may be supplied with edited versions of the recordings, in order to maximise access to the collection holdings.

All records are open to public access under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 unless subject to specific exemption. Records containing personal information on individuals are subject to the terms of UK Data Protection legislation.

A full catalogue of the collection is available to view on the University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections online catalogue .

Collection level description compiled by Emma Hallet and Matthew Waters, 2015-2017, and revised by Melanie Peart, 2021, and Simon Mackley, 2024.

This Archives Hub description prepared by Simon Mackley in May 2024. Please see the University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections online catalogue for any subsequent amendments.

All requests to publish or otherwise reproduce material from the archive should be directed to archives@surrey.ac.uk in the first instance. Unauthorised copying or reproduction is strictly prohibited.

The oral history collection was created by the University of Surrey Alumni and Development Department between 2014-2016. The collection was transferred to the Archives and Special Collections department in 2016.

University of Surrey Archives and Special Collections additionally holds the following related collections:

• Records of Battersea Polytechnic and Battersea College of Advanced Technology [collection reference: BA];
• Records of the University of Surrey [collection reference: US];
• Records of the University of Surrey Students' Union [collection reference: SU].