Blenheim Palace archives team recognised as Gold Standard Internship Host
Blenheim Palace has announced that it has been recognised as a Gold Standard Internship Host for its ongoing Archive Internship Programme.
Since 2019, Blenheim Palace has worked closely with Oxford University Careers Services and Internship Office to provide their students with the opportunity to gain valuable archival work experience alongside their studies. The five-day placements are held over two weeks at the end of each term.
The programme involves interns identifying and transcribing digital images of archival material relating to Blenheim Palace and the Dukes of Marlborough and contributing to the creation of a staff database populated by identifying names from wage books dating from the 1850s. At present, there are over 4,000 entries.
When the partnership began, students would visit the Blenheim Palace Archives and gain experience of various aspects of the profession. Since the pandemic, the UNESCO World Heritage Site made significant adjustments to its archival process so students could work remotely.
Archives intern, Ellen-Rose Thompson said: “My internship with the Blenheim Palace Archives gave me such valuable experience working behind the scenes at a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since completing the internship I’ve been able to apply the skills I learnt to further voluntary and paid work in the heritage sector.”
Archives intern, Lucy Turner added: “I had a fantastic experience working as a micro-intern at Blenheim Palace’s archives in March 2022. I loved working with digitised documents and it really felt like I was making a valuable contribution to the archives, and specifically the availability of information about those living and working on the Estate.
“When writing my research proposal and applications for Master’s degree programmes, I drew on the insights I gained from my micro-internship so not only was it a valuable learning experience and a taste of what a future career in heritage could be; it was also important in helping me to gain offers for the postgraduate courses that I applied for.”
The recognition as a Gold Standard Internship Hosts is based on the commitment to the Internship Office programmes, overall quality of feedback from interns, consistency of internship provision, level of responsiveness to communication from students and the Internship Office and responsiveness to constructive feedback.
Dr Alexa Frost, Archivist at Blenheim Palace, said, “I work with between six and eight students three times a year, so this means I have had the pleasure of helping to mentor over 30 young people. Many of them have gone on to work in the heritage industry including appointments in the archives and museum sectors. It’s brilliant to know their internship experience at Blenheim Palace may have had a hand in this and motivated them further.
“It’s an honour to be recognised as a Gold Standard Internship Host and we hope to continue offering this programme for years to come and inspiring the next generation of archivists.”
Dr Fiona Whitehouse, Head of the Internship Office at The University of Oxford said, “I love this partnership with the archives at Blenheim. These high-quality internships give students a rare insight into the workings of an archives and an opportunity to delve into the social, historic and economic fabric of the Palace. We are also grateful that Dr Frost makes these archival internships accessible to our students.
Admission is valid with a Blenheim Palace ticket including Palace, Park and Gardens, Park and Gardens, Annual Pass or a Privilege Pass.
When you travel to Blenheim Palace via public transport, bicycle or fully electric car, you are eligible for a 30% discount off your Annual Pass or Palace, Park and Gardens day ticket (this discount is not valid for Privilege Pass or Park and Gardens tickets). Use the code GREEN30 for discount during online checkout and show your proof of travel by bus, train or bike on arrival.
To book tickets to Blenheim Palace visit, www.blenheimpalace.com/tickets-booking/
ENDS
Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace. For more information please contact Cab Campaign blenheim@cabcampaign.co.uk
About Blenheim Palace
Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, the Oxfordshire Estate was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Set in over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland and designed by
Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain’s most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill and it was his father who described the vista, on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock, as the ‘finest view in England’
