The Broadwater Collection

A biographical history of Sir Winston Churchill (WSC) is available as part of the introduction to Sir Winston's own papers.

Includes: Churchill family photograph albums and press-cutting books, with photographs of Churchill and his family throughout his life, and press-cuttings covering Churchill's political, military and literary career; some papers relating to Lord Randolph Churchill; papers relating to Lady Randolph Churchill, particularly scripts for various plays which she wrote, and albums from the hospital ship, Maine, during the Boer War; papers relating to Winston Churchill, including public and private correspondence and various historical items which were given to him; photographs of Clementine Churchill; albums kept by "Jack" Churchill relating to his service in the Oxfordshire Hussars.

The Broadwater collection was deposited at Churchill Archives Centre by Winston Churchill and the Churchill Centenary Trust in September-October 1974 and June 1978. Further papers relating to the Churchill family were deposited by Mrs Minnie Churchill, Mr Randolph Churchill and Mr Winston Churchill between 2004 and 2012.

The original Broadwater collection was arranged in three series, of Churchill photograph albums, press cutting albums and a mixed series of combined photographs of press cuttings. So much material was then received from Minnie and Randolph Churchill that five new series were created, one for each member of the Churchill family featured. As this new material had come in over a number of years, it was initially placed mainly in the Churchill Additional series (WCHL), but as the amount of material increased, it was thought best to add it to the family papers in the Broadwater collection.

The papers are on long-term loan to Churchill College.

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Broadwater Collection, BRDW

Churchill Archives Centre holds the papers of Sir Winston Churchill (references GBR/014/CHAR and GBR/014/CHUR) plus a range of related archive collections. These include the papers of Churchill's wife, Clementine Spencer-Churchill, those of his son Randolph, the family of his brother Jack, press photographs, press cuttings and additional Churchill material (GBR/014/WCHL).

Churchill Archives Centre also has a microfilm copy of Churchill's Prime Ministerial Office papers, 1940-1945 (Public Record Office classes PREM 3 and PREM 4) and holds the papers of several people whose careers were closely linked with Churchill, such as Sir John Colville, Sir George Harvie-Watt, and Sir John Martin. A list of these collections is available at: http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/archives/collections/classified/Churchill.shtml. Catalogues to these collections are being added to the Janus website.

Copies of this finding aid are available for consultation at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, the National Register of Archives, London, and on the Janus website, http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk.

This catalogue was prepared by Katharine Thomson at Churchill Archives Centre in August 2004 from existing lists to the papers. Further additions were made in 2012.