The official records of the Papworth Village Settlement are splendid, formidable even. They may enable us to say when particular colonists were admitted, where they came from, their occupations, their finances and state of health. They may give us the details of their teeth, their lungs even. From analysis of such details historical insights may be gained into individuals and generalisations drawn of treatment or social conditions. It is valuable and yet it can be a factually cold history that leaves us a sense of incompleteness. A wealth of paperwork may also survive from particular offices and will colour our impression of that office’s or an individual’s importance. It is the historian’s craft to carefully weigh the significance of what survives against what does not, but this is rarely easy.

To such qualifications and pitfalls of conventional contemporary written documentation the written or spoken reminiscences may provide a counterbalance, enabling us to see better into the spirit of the Settlement and how people were regarded, to see history bottom up, from the workers and patients, as well as top down, from the bosses and doctors. They may also enable us to see more quickly how things worked, and what significance lay in personalities.

The existence of several written reminiscences, whether merely an extended letter or deliberate essay, in the ‘Village Settlement Archive’ is thus very welcome, and it is fortunate that some have both thought to ask and others have put pen to paper to write down their story of life in Papworth. But to leave to chance the creation and survival of such reminiscences in a world where memory of pioneering days in heart transplantation, let alone the high-point of the TB Settlement, are fast fading and people seem to be on the move more than ever, seems almost a dereliction of the archivist’s duty not just to preserve the record but also the contextual information which brought it into being.

An important element in the Papworth Archives Project has thus been the creation of an archive of sound recordings of interviews about the Settlement, Hospital and Trust. The Project publicised widely in local publications and through organisations, as well as following up advice and soliciting the involvement of those whom we identified as key players in developments of the last half-century. In this way we have been able to date to assemble forty recordings broadly reflecting the era of the tuberculosis settlement as well as that of cardiac centre and disability training.

A full list of the recordings is in the PDF file accessible through the link in the right hand column. These may be listened to in the County Record Office, Cambridge, where we advise you to make an appointment first in order to avoid disappointment.

This is continuing work. If you think you have a story to tell, or know someone who has, do not hesitate to contact us.

So extensive a use of oral history was new to Cambridgeshire Archives Service and it is technically a rapidly changing world. Care was therefore taken to first research best practice to ensure preservation and for clarity over rights and access. A report on this aspect of the project, including technical information and describing the oral history practices that the Archives Service has adopted, is contained in the annexed PDF file.