The John Rylands Research Institute and Library have today announces the launch of the British Pop Archive (BPA). The first of its kind, the BPA is a national collection dedicated to the preservation and research of popular culture.
The BPA will celebrate and preserve British popular music and other aspects of popular culture, recognising its pivotal influence on the world stage. Our quintessential British bands, legendary UK television, youth culture, counter-culture and more, from the mid-twentieth century to the present day, have set trends around the globe. The collection will be housed in The University of Manchester’s renowned John Rylands Research Institute and Library, one of the finest neo-gothic buildings in Europe and one of Britain’s great cultural institutions.
Within these collections are revealing cultural touchstones, such as Joy Division and New Order’s manager Rob Gretton’s original written vision for the band, Ian Curtis’ handwritten lyrics to Joy Division classics such as She’s Lost Control and Atmosphere, original posters for Sex Pistols’ legendary gigs at The Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester and important works by designer Peter Saville that set the visual template for Factory Records. The complete corporate archive of Granada Television is a major resource of a ground-breaking company.
The John Rylands Research Institute and Library has a long history of shaping the city’s local and international identity. The University of Manchester Library’s collections of over ten million items include artefacts relating to some of the most important cultural figures in history, including the oldest known fragment of the New Testament, the Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare’s First Folio, invaluable collections of Hebrew and Islamic materials and much, much more. The BPA will be both an important academic resource for research and teaching and a public resource for exhibitions and public events. Part of The University of Manchester, the Rylands is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the city.
Working with the celebrated author and pop culture historian Jon Savage, recently appointed as Professor of Popular Culture at The University of Manchester, the BPA has ambitious plans to build on its current collection and create a comprehensive representation of British popular culture.
On 19 May 2022 the British Pop Archive will launch with Collection, a distinctively Manchester-flavoured exhibition, underlining why the city is the perfect home for the British Pop Archive. Curated by British Pop Archive curator Mat Bancroft, Jon Savage and Hannah Barker, it explores the vibrant cultural scene of a city that has driven innovation, creativity and social progress.
The exhibition features iconic items from British pop history, many of which have never been seen by the public. Highlights include personal items relating to The Smiths, New Order, The Haçienda, Factory Records, Granada Television and Joy Division.
Professor Christopher Pressler, John Rylands University Librarian and Director of The University of Manchester Library, said: “The John Rylands Research Institute and Library is one of the acknowledged great libraries of the world. This position is founded on our astonishing special collections and archives. Whilst we continue to work on materials in every format and every language from five thousand years of human history it is critical that we also engage with our own time. The British Pop Archive is part of our desire to reach into areas not always associated with major research libraries, including pop music, popular culture, counter-culture, television and film. This is a national archive held in Manchester, one of the most important centres of modern culture in the world.”
David Olusoga, TV programme maker and presenter, and Professor of Public History at The University of Manchester, said:
“Granada was a ground-breaking company that influenced programme making throughout the UK between the 1950s and the 1990s. It produced TV that tapped into the lives of ordinary people, most famously Coronation Street, alongside major current affairs shows such as World in Action. Its archive is a major record of a crucial era in TV history.”
Hannah Barker, Professor of British History at The University of Manchester and Director of the John Rylands Research Institute, said:
“The British Pop Archive is a fantastic resource for a university with strong links to the creative industries. It provides unique material for a growing range of research and teaching at the University on popular music, TV and film history, counter-cultural movements and youth culture from the twentieth century to the present day, linked to our brilliant Creative Manchester research platform.”
