Special collections and personal papers

For detailed descriptions of the catalogued collections, please search in brackets in the 'Ref' search box of our online catalogue. For collections not on the online catalogue, there is usually a box list paper catalogue - please contact us to find out more.

Personal Papers

The College holds around 60 personal paper collections, donated by people who worked, studied, or had other connections to the Colleges. They range from a couple of items representing student life at College, to many boxes reflecting schooling, university days, career, research papers and family life. Contact the Archivist for a full list.

Special Collections

These are usually donated to the College by people other than former students or staff, and often support curriculum strengths. They include:

A.V. Coton (pen name of Edward Haddakin)

Items collected during Haddakin's career as an eminent ballet and dance critic, 1936-1968. The collection was donated to the College by his wife.

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Gay Sweatshop Theatre Company (GS)

Administrative, financial and production records, including photographs, posters and programmes, from a controversial and successful company, 1974-1995.

Half Moon Theatre Company (HMT)

Administrative, financial and production records, including material relating to the building of the new theatre, from one of the most influential left-wing London theatres (1972-1990).

Anselm Hughes (given name, Humphrey Vaughan)

Dom Anselm Hughes was a pioneering early scholar of liturgy, especially medieval liturgical music, and his large collection of books, music, and his own papers contains much of unique value to the study of early music and church history. The collection also includes a number of related items from Nashdom Abbey, that were acquired between Hughes's death in 1974 and Royal Holloway's acquisition of the collection ten years later. Many of the books are available in the Library, and can be found by searching the Library catalogue.

RedShift Theatre Company (RSTC)

Administrative and financial papers, personal papers of the Company's director, Jonathan Holloway; production records, tour and venue information; audiovisual recordings of productions; promotional material; press-cuttings and reviews, and photographs 1982-2007.

Alfred Sherman

Advisor to Margaret Thatcher; papers relating in particular to his activities at the Centre for Policy Studies in the period from 1974 to 1983. Link to Sherman papers.

Roy Waters (RW)

Teacher and school inspector, collector of theatrical ephemera. Items include playbills and posters, autograph letters, programmes, postcards, toy theatre sheets and artefacts.