Victorian archive saved for the nation

The future of the Broadlands Archive, which contains 4,500 boxes of official papers and personal correspondence from major figures in the Victorian era, has been secured thanks to the funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF).

The collection includes the papers of the Victorian Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston, social reformer the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, and the last viceroy of India, Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

It will now be bought by the University of Southampton which, with the NHMF grant of 1,993,760, reached its fundraising target of 2.85m.

A NHMF spokeswoman said: "The 4,500 boxes of official papers, personal correspondence, diaries and photographs offer unprecedented insights into major political, diplomatic, social and economic events that shaped Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries."

NHMF chief executive Carole Souter said: "This acquisition is of immense national and historical importance.

"Now that the fundraising target has been reached, the University of Southampton is on track to ensure that the records of those who stood at the very forefront of British political life will be preserved for future generations of historians, scholars and the public to explore and enjoy.

"We hope the archives will join the diverse range of the UK's most important heritage treasures safeguarded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund over the last 30 years."

The head of special collections at the University of Southampton, Prof Chris Woolgar, added: "We're delighted to receive this grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and we thank all those who have supported our campaign to acquire these precious archives."

The Broadlands Archive has been on loan to the university's Hartley Library since 1989.

Funds from the sale will be spent on the 4.6m Broadlands house renovation.