Collection CAS - SECRETARY'S OFFICE: Chelsea College administrative records

Key Information

Reference code

CAS

Title

SECRETARY'S OFFICE: Chelsea College administrative records

Date(s)

  • 1889-1998 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent

196 boxes

Scope and content

Chelsea College Secretary's files, 1889-1998. These records reflect all aspects of the academic and administrative work of the College, ranging from strategic planning, building maintenance and finance through to University of London business where applicable to Chelsea College, notably including South-Western Polytechnic and subsequent College schemes and correspondence on the relationship of the College with the University of London, 1889-1985; governance, namely Chelsea College Senate membership, agendas, committees and other business, 1972-1985; Council minutes, agendas and membership, 1972-1987; King's, Queen's and Chelsea (KQC) Management Committee and Joint Policy Committee correspondence and papers, 1983-1985; University of London Senate agendas and minutes, 1983-1985 (Ref: 1985/CAS, 1987/CAS, 1991 CAS); papers relating to major committees such as academic planning group correspondence, 1983-1984; Finance and General Purposes Committee, Planning and Staffing Committee papers, 1983-1985, planning and resources committee papers, 1989-1991 (Ref: 1997/CAS, CAS/GC2); the general running of the College, including patents, 1972-1987; copyright, 1970-1989; College safety, 1977-1985; Data Protection Act, 1985-1987; Students' Union and student welfare, 1966-1985; a proposed merger with Westfield College, University of London, 1982-1987; the Swinnerton-Dyer Committee report documents, 1980-1982; St George's Hospital Medical School papers reflecting administrative concerns, 1976-1986; agreements and contracts with publishing companies and scientific equipment suppliers, 1968-1985; papers relating to the arsenic poisoning of porters at Chelsea College including cuttings and police investigations, 1966-1971, 1998, (Ref: CAS/AD1, 1987/CAS, 1991 CAS); personnel and staff related files including on contracts, salaries, leave entitlements, performance targets, trade unions, principally NUPE and NALGO, staff appointments and lists, 1967-1987; Academic Staff Committee minutes, papers and correspondence, 1969-1985; Technical and Manual Staff Committees, 1971-1985; demonstrators and visiting lecturers, 1975-1981 (Ref: CAS/AD8); papers relating to College property, [1970-1988] (Ref: 1987/CAS, CAS 1989); academic related papers concerning various departments at King's spanning the merger of Chelsea and King's in 1985, including Biophysics, Chemistry, English, Physiology, Spanish, Theology and War Studies, 1977-1989, Chelsea Departmental papers including the Nuffield programme, Library and Computing Department, 1966-1988 (Ref: 1987/CAS, 1991 CAS, 1992 CAS).

System of arrangement

The records are arranged according to year of accession.

General Information

Name of creator

(1972-1985)

Biographical history

The South-Western Polytechnic was opened at Manresa Road, Chelsea, in 1895, to provide scientific and technical education to Londoners. Day and evening classes for men and women comprised study in domestic economy, mathematics, engineering, natural science, art and music. It was renamed the Chelsea Polytechnic in 1922. The Polytechnic taught a growing number of registered students of the University of London, and this relationship was later formally recognised when the renamed Chelsea College of Science and Technology was admitted as a School of the University in 1966. Government of the College was devolved to the so-called Governing Body, supplemented from its inception in 1961 by an Academic Board reflecting the interests of staff and students. These were renamed the Council and Senate when the College was granted its Royal Charter in 1971. The College Secretary was senior administrative officer until the merger of Chelsea with King's College and Queen Elizabeth College in 1985.

Custodial history

Office of the College Secretary, 1985 and 1997.

Conditions governing access

Administrative records are generally closed for 20 years except for published material and some committee and other minutes.

Files containing personal data are closed for 80 years and sensitive personal data for 100 years from the date of the most recent document in the file.

Where open, access is subject to signature of Reader's undertaking form, and appropriate provision of two forms of identification, to include one photographic ID.

Conditions governing reproduction

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied from open material for research purposes only.

Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Archives.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Finding aids

A detailed list of contents is available for consultation in hard-copy in the King's College London Archives reading room.

Existence and location of originals

Off-campus collection

Please note: We require 7 days notice to retrieve this collection as part, or all of it, is held off-campus. Read more ›

Related materials

The Secretary's records to some extent overlap with those of the Registry (Ref: CAR) and Minute Books series (Ref: CA/M). The majority of personnel records for Chelsea College comprise a distinct series (Ref: CA/FP). See also King's College Secretarial, Principal's Office and Registry material that describe the merger in 1985 and the subsequent history of the Chelsea campus (Ref: KAS, KAP, KAR).

Related descriptions

Alternative identifier(s)

Place access points

Genre access points

Rules and/or conventions used

Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000.

Script(s)

Archivist's note

Sources: H Silver and S J Teague eds, Chelsea College - A History (London, 1977). Entry compiled by Geoff Browell as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Accession area

Related genres

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