The National Co-operative Archive, located in Holyoake House, Manchester, UK,[1] is home to collections relating to the history of the co-operative movement, that provide an unrivaled resource for the understanding of the co-operative movement from its initial ideas of the nineteenth century to the present day. The archive includes manuscripts, rare books, periodicals, films, photographs and oral histories. The archive is run by the Co-operative Heritage Trust, which also operates the Rochdale Pioneers Museum.[2]
History
The origins of the Archive date from 1903, when the Robert Owen correspondence collection was transferred to the Co-operative Union, and it has been built up gradually over the last century.[3]
The Co-operative College is also located in the building – it was founded in 1919, and in 1946. It moved away from Manchester, because of the damage caused in its headquarters by bombing raids during the Second World War.