VEC Heritage Collections Development Policy

 

Mission Statement

The Venerable English College (VEC) was founded on its present site in 1362 as the English Hospice to welcome pilgrims visiAng the holy sites of the city. From 1579, in the period of the European ReformaAon, the College became a seminary for the training of Catholic priests from England and Wales, a funcAon it sAll has today. The College is home to the material expression of this unique heritage, whose treasures record more than 650 years of history. The aim of this policy is to ensure that what the College collects can be used to tell this story, and to bear witness to the ongoing relevance and importance of the college’s history. The aim is to enable access to the collecAons to all those curious about their history and to use them to connect and inspire future generaAons of researchers.

Collecting Policy

This Policy covers the Heritage Collections of the College, including fixtures and fittings, works of art, furnishings and monuments, and the collections of the library and archive. It will be reviewed at least once every five years.

  • Date on which this policy was approved by the Rector and Director of Heritage Collections on 9 May 2025.

  • Date at which this policy is due for review: not later than May 2030.

    Policy

    The VEC is committed to exploring acquisitions that are of significance to the cultural history of the fabric and life of the College and its inhabitants, from its foundation on the present site in 1362 to the present day. We look for items with a strong association to the VEC, whether that is through former presence, ownership by former staP or students, or a demonstrable historical connection to the Hospice or College. Primary among these will be items for which there is a strong case for the public benefit of their research and display.

    Donations

    The VEC is enormously grateful to its donors past and present. A form for the assessment of items can be found here (hyper-link) or by emailing heritagedirector@vecrome.org

    Accessioned and Non-Accessioned Collection Items

    Objects can enter the collections as Accessioned items, whose long-term care and preservation becomes a commitment of the VEC, or as Non-Accessioned items. Non- Accessioned items, for example, might include modern library books, furnishings destined for use and some display materials.

    For Accessioned items, the VEC will follow the requirements of the Museum Accreditation Standard. This includes using SPECTRUM primary procedures for collections management. It will take into account limitations on collecting imposed by such factors as staPing, storage, conservation resources, display space and long -erm maintenance costs associated with non-traditional media. Due account is also taken of

the collecting policies of other heritage institutions. No modern copy of an original will be accepted as an Accessioned item.

Due Diligence

Acquisitions and disposals for both Accessioned and Non-Accessioned items will be carried out openly and with transparency. The VEC must be satisfied that it can acquire good title to the object in question, and that it has not been acquired in, or exported from, its country of origin (or any intermediate country in which it may have been legally owned) in violation of that country's laws (Museums and Galleries Act 1992).