Exhibition: The Jennie Lee Archive Collection

There are only a small number of items within the collection from the period that Jennie was in the House of Lords – although the papers we do have show that she was still keenly interested in the Arts – and the Open University.

Jennie maintained her links with Milton Keynes and The Open University during the 1970s. She became a founding trustee of the Milton Keynes Foundation which was created to establish Milton Keynes as a new town, and included promoting the arts and ensuring that there were community facilities established in the area.

In June 1974 she opened the Jennie Lee Theatre in Bletchley, persuading sculptor Henry Moore to become its president and musician John Dankworth its music advisor.

In a letter to Henry Moore dated 1976 Jennie wrote:

“I have allowed myself to become a Trustee of the Milton Keynes Foundation because of the close association of Milton Keynes with the Open University. Also I very much like the generosity of Evelyn de Rothschild in promoting the idea that Milton Keynes should not make the mistake of concentrating only on houses and factories, but from the beginning should build up some kind of cultural investment.”

In 1976 Jennie gave a lecture to the OU Club on the Walton Hall campus. You can watch a clip from the event on this page.

Jennie returned to The Open University in 1979 when it celebrated its 10^th Anniversary. The photo on this page shows her with Her Majesty The Queen.