‘Having studied and taught History for many years, the Centenary Archives Photo Project has not only interested me on a personal level, but also has offered a unique insight into the development of the University.’

Pete Riches, (1987) Centenary Archives Photo Project alumni volunteer

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As the University of Hull approaches its centenary in 2027, a new project began in January 2025 to bring our rich visual history to light. The Centenary Archives Photo Project is a unique initiative involving dedicated alumni volunteers, who are digitising previously unseen photographic negatives from the University’s archives currently stored in the Hull History Centre.

At the heart of the project is a shared commitment to uncovering and preserving the visual history of the University: thousands of photographic negatives stored in the university archives, many unseen for decades.   These images, ranging from the construction of iconic campus buildings to pivotal academic moments, and student drama productions and so much more that we have yet to discover, capture the history of the University over the decades. In preserving and sharing these images of the past, the project not only celebrates the legacy of the University of Hull but also strengthens the intergenerational bond between past and present members of our university community.

The digitised photographs will ultimately form a publicly accessible online archive and feature in centenary exhibitions, offering a window into campus life across generations and celebrating the history of the University of Hull. But we can’t wait until 2027 for you to see some of these images and are starting now!  Our first foray into the digitised images that we would like to share with you from the Project focus on the building and opening of the main library building circa 1959. We hope that they bring back memories for some of our alumni whilst also enlightening others as to the heritage of one of our best known and loved buildings.

As the digitised collection grows (presently at over 500 images), so too does the collective memory of the University of Hull. The contributions of our amazing alumni volunteers in the time and effort that they give in making these images accessible to present and past generations help to ensure that we have a living archive of the people and stories that shaped our University that we can share with you. Since the start of the project, they have given over 100 hours of their time and  without them, this project simply wouldn’t exist. Claire Weatherall, Archivist (Hull University Archives) emphasised that ”Without the time and dedication of our wonderful volunteers this amazing resource would remain hidden away, unavailable for research and outreach use. We’ve already seen the benefits, with a number of the newly digitised images being selected for use in an upcoming exhibition about the history of the University Library. Huge thanks to Pete and Helen who have never been phased by the enormity of the task! Their work also supports a wider project to catalogue and make accessible records created by the University since its foundation in 1927. “

Helen Farrall, BA Music (1984) has explains her reasons for being a an alumni volunteer on the Project:

‘Volunteering enables me to keep a close connection with the University and to give something back to an institution that has given me so much. Being able to volunteer at the Hull History Centre working with the University Archives provided me with the ideal opportunity to be able to give back in a way that relates to my background as a librarian and as an alumna it’s been fascinating discovering these snapshots of University life and history.’

If you would like to find out more about becoming an alumni volunteer on the Centenary Archives Photo Project (CAPP), please email: alumni@hull.ac.uk