Oxford House Educational Settlement, Risca, Records

Records of the Oxford House Educational Settlement, Risca, 1931-1981, including minutes, 1932-1975; minutes of corresponding organisations, 1930-1971; financial records, 1934-1966; correspondence and reports, 1931-1972; newspaper cuttings, 1931-1959; miscellaneous, 1938-1981.

During the 1920s, the Lord Mayor of London made an appeal to help people impoverished by industrial strife. In response, the Mayor of Oxford's Mining Distress Committee was formed to organize and dispatch aid to coalmining areas, including Risca, Monmouthshire. Some public utility works at Risca were subsidized and relief in other forms was contributed. By 1931, the Oxford fund was running low but a yearly grant was made by the Educational Settlements Association to the Oxford Committee to develop and Educational Settlement in Risca. Mr and Mrs David Wills took up posts as joint wardens of the Educational Settlement at Oxford House, Risca. They were both experienced practitioners; in particular, David Wills had been a brother at Wallingford Farm Training Colony, studied at the University of Birmingham from 1927-29 for a Diploma in Social Studies, and was awarded the William Straight Fellowship at the New York School of Social Work at Columbia University, where he did his psychiatric social work training from 1929 to 1930. He was the first British man to do this psychiatric social work training. The Willses settled in Risca at a place called Hillside. This remained the site of Oxford House until 1937, when a house called 'The Grove' was purchased and became the new Oxford House.

Arranged into the following: Oxford House minutes; Minutes of corresponding organizations; Financial records; Correspondence and reports; Newspaper cuttings; Miscellaneous.

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Source not recorded

Compiled by Richard Burman for the ANW project. The following source was used to compile this description: Gwent Record Office, Oxford House Educational Settlement, Risca, catalogue.

A hard copy of the catalogue is available in Gwent Record Office.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

All records deposited at Gwent Record Office have been retained.

Accruals are not expected