Skip to main content

Special collections and personal papers

See the special collections and personal paper collections

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.

Find out more

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.

Contact our archives

Phone: +44 (0)1784 443814

Email: archives@rhul.ac.uk  

Postal address:

College Archives and Special Collections
Davison Building
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham
Surrey
TW20 0EX

Explore Royal Holloway

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

Whether you need support with your health or practical advice on budgeting or finding part-time work, we can help.

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

Discover world-class research at Royal Holloway.

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Find about our decision-making processes and the people who lead and manage Royal Holloway today.