Victoria and Albert Museum

Arts Council of Great Britain: records, 1928-1997

Series description

Context

In 1958, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Harold Macmillan, invited the Arts Council to undertake a first ever survey of existing buildings to house the arts, and to make recommendations for the future. The consequent Report was published in two volumes in 1959 and 1961.

The Report painted a very bleak picture, but a further four years passed before theArts Council was empowered to give capital grants to encourage local authorities and other promoters to build. The scheme was a success and, by 1976, grants totalling £8,214,500 had been paid or promised to 271 schemes in England, Scotland and Wales.

In 1982/83 responsibility for the Housing the Arts scheme was taken over from theFinance Department by the Regional Department. By the mid-eighties, the capital programme was wound up and Housing the Arts survived briefly only in an advisory and information role.

Scope and content

This series contains those files which relate to the administration of the Housing the Arts scheme. It contains the agendas, minutes and papers from the meetings of the Housing the Arts Committee. There are also files concerning financial, policy and research reports.

Arrangement

The items in this series have been arranged chronologically.

Access

Restrictions on access

Access to unpublished material less than 30 years old is subject to the written permission of the Arts Council of England. Apply in the first instance to the Archive of Art and Design at the Victoria and Albert Museum.