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Last year the College celebrated the 80^th anniversary of Nuffield College’s foundation, but did you know that Nuffield didn’t become an officially independent entity until 20 years later? 

Colleges must receive a Royal Charter to be officially recognised as an independent organisation, and Nuffield received its charter on 6^th June 1958, 60 years ago today. The Charter was awarded by the Duke of Edinburgh and the event was celebrated with a procession and lunch.

To celebrate the anniversary of this important event in Nuffield’s history, the Library team scoured the Archive to pull together an exhibition. Included in the exhibition are photographs, the menu from the celebratory lunch and audio recordings of the speeches on the day.

Clare Kavanagh, Assistant Librarian, who pulled together the exhibition, commented:

“It was fascinating pulling all the material together for the exhibition, reading the write up on the event and the implications for the College’s development in the Annual Report. I was struck by how resonant the College’s main purpose, as defined by Lord Nuffield, still is today, especially the declaration that ‘no member of the College or any candidate for membership shall be subject to any test of a religious, political or racial character’.

“It was also amazing to listen to the speeches given by the Duke of Edinburgh and Norman Chester, as we have had the original audio recordings digitised for the anniversary, especially to hear the laughter and responses of the audience.”

More information about this anniversary and the Library’s exhibition can be found on the Library’s blog post. The exhibition is on the first floor of the Library in the Current Affairs Room.

Pictured: Norman Chester, Lord Nuffield and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, Nuffield College papers, A3/4/9