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- Case 1: Challenges facing Archivists
- Case 2: Survival in Special Collections
- Case 2: Selection in Special Collections
- Case 3: Forbidden Futures - Science Fiction Foundation Collections
- Case 4: Collections Development
- Case 5: Rescue and Growth - The Cunard Archive
- Case 6: Caught in a military uprising! E.J. Burford in Spain
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Case 5: Rescue and Growth - The Cunard Archive
This case highlights the Cunard Archive. Several moves have ensured the material survived war and adversity, the last move being to the University of Liverpool in 1960s. It is now cared for by a dedicated Cunard Archivist.
View the objects in Case 5
Cunard’s headquarters were based in Liverpool from its inception in 1839 until 1967 when it relocated to Southampton. As the company grew so did its administrative requirements meaning its original offices in Water Street were no longer suitable. Completed in 1917 the Cunard Building on Liverpool’s historic waterfront became known as one of the Three Graces. Early plans suggest where Cunard’s ‘current’ and ‘past’ records were stored in the basement of the Cunard Building.
Plan of Mezzanine Basement, Cunard Building, Liverpool [1914]. The 'Store for Past Records' is visible in the top left hand corner.
The prominent position of Cunard’s office meant that it was at particular risk of bomb damage during the Second World War. The Cunard Board perceived the threat to their ‘irreplaceable and historical records’ to be so great that in September 1939 the archive was transported to a cottage in Cumberland for safety.
Cunard Board Meeting Minutes
Image of minutes from the Cunard White Star Line Board Meeting, dated 1939-09-20. The minutes show the company's records have been moved to…
Over the next few decades efforts were made by Cunard to collect and preserve records that documented its company history, resulting in an extensive collection of original business records and publicity material. However the decline in shipping throughout the 1960s saw Cunard make the decision to relocate its headquarters to Southampton; ultimately saving the company from collapse but putting the archive at risk of considerable destruction.
A rescue mission, conducted by Liverpool Museum in agreement with Cunard resulted in the administrative records being transferred to the University (influenced by Professor Francis Hyde who was working on an economic history of the company). It had also been feared that the archive would find its way to foreign collectors who were actively seeking to acquire them. The successful rescue of the Cunard archive resulted in a collection that contains most of the surviving business records produced by Cunard since it became a limited company in 1878.
Front cover of the Cunard Magazine, dated October 1923. The Cunard Magazine was a house magazine, first produced in January 1918. It was initially…
Front Cover of Cunard Magazine
Throughout its history, the Cunard archive has faced a number of threats including that of war, individual actions and the reliance on business survival. Today, Cunard values and celebrates its heritage and strives to ensure the continued growth of its company archive with regular deposits of records.
Case 5: Rescue and Growth - The Cunard Archive