School of Pharmacy, Leicester Colleges of Art and Technology, Leicester Polytechnic, De Montfort University

Scope and Content

Various papers relating to the School of Pharmacy at De Montfort University between 1934-1971:

  • •1 duplicate book with entries running from 1938-1941, by Arthur Chamings, Head of the School of Pharmacy at Leicester College of Art and Technology, 1929-1944. Entries include correspondence, reports, and notes on a number of subjects, such as student entry requirements, scholarship schemes, prizes, and health and safety equipment etc.
  • •1 folder containing the N.P.U (National Pharmaceutical Union) retail price list for May, 1959: a bi-monthly issue to assist pharmacists with prices and book-keeping. A copy of the N.P.U dispensing scale is adhered on the inside cover of the folder.
  • •1 Membership Survey 1965: This second membership survey, while conducted in 1966, refers to all people working in a position in British pharmacy for the financial year ending April 1965. The survey collates data on those members in terms of gender, location (hospital, teaching, general practice, manufacturing etc.), age, and by UK region.
  • •Leicester Regional College of Technology, School of Pharmacy Report for the establishment of undergraduate degree courses, November, 1965 (one print out and 1 typed copy): Information prepared by the Principal for submission to The Council for National Academic Awards on the proposed course structure and syllabus for the award of ordinary and honours degrees in pharmacy. The document outlines the aims and objectives of several related courses, entry requirements and examinations, as well as providing information on staff specialisms, employment history, publications, accommodation, and lecture rooms.
  • •Folder of papers relating to the School of Pharmacy’s annual reunion dinner and dance at the Bell Hotel, Leicester, held on 22nd April, 1967: 17 ticket request slips, 16 tickets, 3 programmes, 7 copies of the seating plan, 1 memo regarding ticket sales, and, 19 letters regarding the acceptance or refusal to attend the dinner and dance, including one from the Leicester Mercury confirming the attendance of a photographer, and one from The Pharmaceutical Journal who are unable to send a delegate but who wish to publish a report of the evening’s events.
  • •Leicester Regional College of Technology, School of Pharmacy Report, 1967: 2 x copies of a typed report detailing the research projects of postgraduate students and staff; examples include the effects of X radiation on enzyme systems and lipid formation and resistance to anti-bacterial agents. The document also includes a list of staff publications and external lectures covering the period 1960-1967.
  • •Correspondence: Letters dating from 1967-1970, predominantly between the Head of the School of Pharmacy (Colin Gunn until 1968 and then Dr Durrell R. Bragg when he assumed the role) and various educational and pharmaceutical bodies, such as The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, as well as students and researchers. Examples include, the 1967 negotiations between the School and the Pharmaceutical Society for overseas speakers to visit DMU, letters from the Department of Education and Science regarding conversion to the metric system, and a number of letters regarding postgraduate activities, entrance requirements for the taught courses, scholarships, and the examinations board.
  • •Reports and agendas: 19 documents dating from 1960-1968 featuring details of annual meetings, a teachers' vacation course, and significantly, a list of institutions across the UK to be considered for Polytechnic status. This is accompanied by a document entitled, ‘Draft Instrument of Government for Polytechnics’ outlining guidance and objectives for those institutions.
  • •A small selection of press cuttings and photographs ranging from 1934-1965 (some undated) relating to the School of Pharmacy. Examples include images and articles on the annual dinner and dance, some of the then current Head of School, Mr Colin Gunn, and one of Councillor Keene, who, as Chairman, was one of the governors of the college as it was then known.
  • •1 booklet detailing the entrance requirements to the Schools of Pharmacy across the UK, 1971.
  • •3 sample application forms for research scholarships and educational grants for pharmaceutical courses across the UK.

Administrative / Biographical History

The School of Pharmacy was founded under the Leicester Municipal Technical and Art School in 1909. However, university records show that pharmacy courses, known at the time as 'Pharmaceutical Chemistry', were being taught as early as 1887. From the Technical and Art School's establishment until 1969, Pharmacy, in addition to nursing, was offered as part of the Technical School courses. While Pharmacy had its own school, nursing came under Biology, although a formal faculty or department did not exist until the Polytechnic was founded. Now a part of the Faculty for Health and Life Sciences, it still teaches from its original base in the Hawthorne Building.

Access Information

Open for general access. External researchers are advised to make an appointment with the Archivist. Some of the records may be subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act.

Other Finding Aids

A box list is available from the Archivist on request.

Archivist's Note

Listed by Assistant Archivist Frances Lund, April 2014.Updated by Natalie Hayton June 2016