The Making of Britain

Our Migration Story: The Making of Britain is an Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded collaboration between the Runnymede Trust and academics based at the universities of Cambridge and Manchester. Drawing on the words and research of over 60 historians based in universities and historical institutions – including the National Archives, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Royal Historical Society – this website presents the often untold stories of the generations of migrants who came to and shaped the British Isles. 

While this website is primarily designed to support teachers and students studying migration to Britain, its aim is to be a useful resource for anyone interested in Britain’s migration history.  

This site is organised through stories of individuals and groups. These stories are told through a diverse range of historical source material and are arranged into four time-period categories: AD43-1500; 1500-1750; 1750-1900; 1900-2000s. Across each period, you will find images, quotations, newspaper clippings, Parliamentary reports, videos, poems, extracts from novels, and many other materials that present the successes, challenges, obstacles and surprises faced by Britain’s migrants over more than a thousand years. 

For students and teachers, most case studies end with potential questions and classroom activities. For all users, the many migration stories presented here offer further avenues for exploration in the form of links to additional reading, other websites and organisations. All together, this site is dedicated to presenting the fullness and the richness of contributions made, and lives lived, by Britain’s many migrant groups.