The Borthwick Institute for Archives

The Borthwick Institute for Archives holds the largest collection of Rowntree archives in the world. These include records relating to the Rowntree company, family, Trusts and theatre as well as records relating to the family’s social research. The archives include letters and diaries; minute books; accounts; magazines; advertisements; audio and video recordings and photographs. The Borthwick was founded as part of the campaign to establish a university in York. The Borthwick Institute of Historical Research was the first of the institutes to be opened in May 1953 and it became a department of the university when it opened in 1963. The Borthwick moved to its current location adjacent to the Raymond Burton Library at the centre of the university campus in 2004 and opened to the public in January 2005.