The University of Surrey was established on 9 September 1966 with the grant of its Royal Charter, but its roots go back to a late 19th-century concern to provide greater access to further and higher education for the poorer inhabitants of London. Since the University's founding in the 1960s, and before that at Battersea College, our community has thrived through strong connections and collaboration with the outside world. We've formed close partnerships with other institutions and businesses, reaching across geographic boundaries, and used those relationships to bring potential to life. The University Archives provide information about our history and organisation, conveying evidence of its policies and decisions, showing what the University has done and why, how it is organised and operates, and its effect on the wider community.