Celebrating 100 Years of UCEM exhibition – Building Futures 1919 – 2019

Posted on: 20 February, 2019

UCEM is delighted to commemorate its heritage and commitment to benefiting the local Reading community by co-producing an exhibition with Reading Museum charting its social and historical impact throughout the century, including its move to the town in 1973.

The exhibition will showcase previously unexplored heritage including the institution’s role in educating British Prisoners of War and members of the Women’s Land Army during the Second World War. Through images, artefacts, documents and books, visitors are invited to unearth the stories of those who have learnt through UCEM throughout the years.

Central to the display will be the University College’s Coat of Arms, the only remaining piece of the iron gate from UCEM’s Hinchley Wood, Surry site. The rest of the gate was requisitioned as part of the war effort in the 1940s and melted down for materials.

The installation will also feature the institution’s first visitor’s book, first used at the institution’s Inaugural Ceremony in 1923 and including the signature of future Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain when he attended the opening of a new wing in 1927.

A grant awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, read here, has enabled UCEM to deliver a dynamic interpretation of it’s history, bringing much of its archive into public view for the first time. We are excited to share these with the local Reading community in bringing the history of UCEM to life.

Date: Tuesday 10 September 2019 – Friday 31 January 2020
Time: 10am – 4pm, Tuesday – Saturday
Venue: Reading Museum, Blagrave Street, Reading RG1 1QH

This exhibition is free.