An Oral History of British Science

23 February 2010

Oral History of British Science interviewee Dr Charles Swithinbank using a theodolite during an Antarctic expedition, 1949-52.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Charles Swithinbank

The voices, memories and experiences of hundreds of British scientists are being captured by a major new initiative at the British Library. An Oral History of British Science, led by National Life Stories, is the first project of its kind in Britain and will gather 200 audio-visual interviews with the British scientists who have led the world in scientific innovation.

Genetic engineering, the internet, and climate change are topics that make media headlines around the world. Yet little is known about the journey behind the important scientific and technological advances made in Britain that have transformed our world.

No archive recordings exist of some of Britain’s most esteemed scientists of the twentieth century, including Alan Turing (1912-1954), codebreaker and pioneer in the history of computing, and the physiologist A.V. Hill (1886-1977), whose work on muscles was recognised by the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1922. Even those associated with iconic British inventions, such as Christopher Cockerell (1901-1999) who invented the hovercraft, appear to have left no substantial oral testimony documenting their life and work. Remarkably few living British scientists, including several Nobel laureates, have been interviewed at length. No comprehensive historical survey of British scientific endeavour and discovery exists which draws on personal memory and experience.

An Oral History of British Science will interview both the well-known names of British science as well as lesser-heard and neglected voices such as technicians and women scientists, to ensure their memories are preserved for historians of the future. This oral history programme will capture the culture of science in Britain since the Second World War through 200 audio interviews, each averaging 10-15 hours in length, complemented by some shorter video recordings to document key events, instruments and locations. The archive is organised around four themes to reflect the character and emerging issues of science in the twentieth century. The Arcadia Fund has supported two of the themes, but the other two are so far unfunded and further financial support is sought :

• Made in Britain – examines important discoveries in science and technology that have led to new industrial applications, covering computing, applied sciences (such as condensed matter physics) as well as engineering fields (chemical, electrical, civil and structural).
• A Changing Planet – explores the advancement of the earth system sciences in the light of recent concerns associated with environmental and climate change. Interviewees will include climatologists, meteorologists, geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, ecologists, glaciologists and oceanographers.
• The Factory of Life [unfunded] – investigates the transformations that have typified biomedicine, and how new technologies have changed medical practices. Advances in genetic engineering will be central, especially in relation to the rise of ‘big Pharma’.
• Cosmologies [unfunded] – considers new systems of thought that have emerged in correspondence with the development of a number of theoretical fields: mathematics, mathematical physics, cosmology, astronomy, statistics, and high-energy physics.

The recordings and transcripts will be made available free of charge at the British Library as a research resource. Visit the project website at: www.bl.uk/historyofscience

Dr Rob Perks, Curator of Oral History at the British Library, commented:
“British scientists were behind many of the key scientific and technological developments that make daily media headlines – such as climate change, the internet and genetics - but little is known of the real personal stories behind these advances that have transformed our world. This will be a major new public resource of in-depth interviews at the British Library for understanding contemporary science. We hope it will enthuse the next generation of scientists."

Professor Sir Harry Kroto FRS, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 1996, said:
“This programme is an important addition to our understanding of British science and its massive impact on the society globally. There is no existing comprehensive historical survey of British scientific endeavour and discovery. Drawing on personal memory and experience, the programme at the British Library will be unique in illuminating the process of science, the intrinsic attitudes of scientists and their influence on an educated and ‘Enlightened’ society.”

For press information, interviews and broadcast quality audio extracts, please contact:
Jacob Lant, Science Press Officer, British Library
+44 (0)20 7412 7105 / jacob.lant@bl.uk

Notes to editors

An Oral History of British Science is run by National Life Stories and the British Library, in association with the Science Museum. The Arcadia Fund has funded two of the project’s four strands: ‘Made in Britain’ and ‘A Changing Planet’ and these will take three years to complete.  Funding is currently being sought for the two remaining strands: ‘Cosmologies’ and ‘The Factory of Life’. www.bl.uk/historyofscience

National Life Stories is a charitable trust and limited company within the British Library Sound Archive. Established in 1987 to capture the life stories of British people whose experiences would not otherwise be recorded, National Life Stories has recorded over 2,000 interviews totalling some 20,000 hours, all accessible at the British Library: www.bl.uk/nls

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, photographs, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. www.bl.uk

The Science Museum
An Oral History of British Science in run in association with the Science Museum. From June 2009 the Science Museum is celebrating its hundredth birthday and a century of science with a year-long centenary programme to take the renowned institution into the future. For 100 years the Science Museum has been world-renowned for its historic collection, remarkable galleries and inspirational exhibitions. With around 15,000 objects on public display, the Science Museum’s collections form an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical change from the past few centuries. Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and backgrounds in science engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise. In 2008/09 the Science Museum was proud to have been awarded the Gold Award for Visitor Attraction of the Year by Visit London and a Silver Award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year by Enjoy England. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

Professor Chris Rapley CBE, Director of the Science Museum and Professor of Climate Science at UCL said: “The Science Museum is proud to be associated with this important project at the British Library, capturing the lives of British scientists to illustrate their global scientific and technological achievements. From building the world’s first computers and jet engines, to exploring climate change and the Human Genome, Britain’s scientists and engineers have continued to play a major role in understanding and influencing our world."

Arcadia Fund
Arcadia is the charitable foundation of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. Since inception in 2001 Arcadia has awarded grants in excess of $181 million.
Arcadia works to protect endangered treasures of culture and nature. For more information please see http://www.arcadiafund.org.uk/