Royal Historical Society visit the University of Suffolk

Historians across East Anglia came together at The Hold last month for a visit by the Royal Historical Society to promote collaborative working.

Members of the Society’s Council met with historians from the University of Suffolk and staff at Suffolk Archives on Wednesday 22 October to find out more about the University’s BA and MA History courses, as well as how the Society can support the work of historians within and beyond Higher Education.

The discussions, centred around the theme of ‘working with heritage partners’, brought together history academics from across the region, including from the universities of East Anglia, Essex, Anglia Ruskin and Cambridge alongside Suffolk, as well as representatives from archive services and museums, such as Ipswich and Colchester Museums, The Food Museum in Stowmarket, Britten Pears Arts and Suffolk County Council.

The event aimed to promote the benefits of collaborative work between heritage professionals, how the Society can best support historians, and also featured a tour of the Suffolk Archives, which opened at The Hold in 2020.

The event concluded with a public lecture by Professor Tim Grady from the University of Chester, entitled ‘Britain and the Memory of Two World Wars’.

Dr Harvey Osborne, Course Leader, History, University of Suffolk said: “It was a great privilege to host a visit from the RHS, to welcome our colleagues from across the region, and to highlight how our students benefit from our close working relationship with Suffolk Archives”.

Professor Lucy Noakes, President of the Royal Historical Society, said: "We were delighted to visit the University of Suffolk and learn more about the exceptional and inspiring work of Suffolk historians in collaboration with archivists at The Hold. Theirs is a remarkable and very impressive partnership which combines students' love of history with skills training, equipping recipients well for professional life after university. It's an approach that enriches the experience of Suffolk students and serves as a model for historians and creative teaching across UK higher education."

To find out more about studying History at the University of Suffolk, visit the course pages here: BA (Hons) History | University of Suffolk and MA History | University of Suffolk.

The University’s next Open Day will be held on Saturday 15 November from 9.30am-2.30pm. Staff from the History team will be available to speak to about the course, as well as opportunities to see accommodation, campus tours and more. Register your interest on the website here: Open Days | University of Suffolk.

To find out more about the work at Suffolk Archives, visit the website here: Welcome to Suffolk Archives.