The Transport Library (next to the Letitia Chitty Reading Room) is sponsored by the Rees Jeffreys fund. Additionally, the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund continues to sponsor students of our MSc courses in Transport.
William Rees Jeffreys Hon.MTPI.,C.I.Mech.E was described by Lloyd George in 1937 as ‘The greatest authority on roads in the United Kingdom and one of the greatest in the whole world’. He led the campaign to seal the nation’s roads so improving travel for road users and reducing roadside nuisance. He was a major force in developing the national road classification system.
Rees Jeffreys occupied many influential positions in promoting the interests of road users including Secretary of the Road Board, Secretary to the RAC, Chairman of the Roads Improvement Association and Honorary Treasurer of the Institute of Automobile Engineers. His book, The King’s Highway, published in 1949 by Batchworth Press is still of particular interest.
Following his death in 1954 his estate provided the endowment which has enabled the Rees Jeffreys Road Fund to offer financial support for more than fifty years to education, research and physical road transport related projects.
The Trustees of the Fund meet five times a year to consider applications to award grants financed by that endowment, which is invested to produce income and capital growth. The fund does not have any fundraising activities. Trustees favour proposals which have national rather than local application and particularly those which involve other funding partners. They always welcome proposals and ideas for topics and projects and from time to time on this website they will identify areas of potential interest. Education and training awards concentrate upon the award of bursaries to Transport Masters students but other projects in this field are welcomed. Physical roadside projects are often those submitted by the Wildlife Trusts, but other such projects of a similar nature are grant-aided from time to time.
To find out more about the trust please visit www.reesjeffreys.co.uk.