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University Heritage Collection

The University Heritage Collection reflects the institutional history of the University, unveiling stories about significant figures, and campus experiences throughout the years.

Objects

The collection includes architectural elements that trace the University's development like:

  • The ceremonial key from the Royal opening of the University in 1909.
  • Carved heraldic shields from Mason College, installed outside the west entrance to the School of Law.

It also sheds light on significant historical moments in the University’s history, including:

  • Material from University House and its first warden, Margery Fry, documenting the establishment of the first women's Hall of Residence in Britain.
  • Items from both World Wars, including an embroidered cloth by soldiers convalescing in the Great Hall and shrapnel found by students after a 1940 air raid.
  • A small Union Jack taken on the Challenger Space Mission in 1985, which carried a telescope built by the University into earth orbit.

Manuscripts and Archives

The collection also features artefacts related to the University’s manuscript and archive collections held by Cadbury Research Library. This includes the personal effects of key people connected with the University such as Joseph Chamberlain and Robert Anthony Eden.

  • Two bronze medals

    Commemorative Medal for the opening of the University, unknown maker, about 1909, bronze and cloth

  • A close up of a dark wooden sculpture of a man wearing a ruff.

    Carved figure of William Shakespeare from Mason College Library, unknown maker, about 1880, wood

  • Fragments of metal arranged on a white background.

    Shrapnel and incendiary bomb collected from garden of University House, about 1940, metals

For information about the history of the collection and collecting practices, see our  Collections Development Policy.