University of Bristol Special Collections

Overview

Special Collections is a department of the University of Bristol Library that holds the University's archival and rare book collections, including manuscripts, artefacts, and printed material.

History

The University of Bristol Special Collections has been established since the 1920s and has always been part of the University of Bristol Library. The University College, Bristol, was established in 1876, and the University of Bristol in 1909. The Brunel Collection is stored and accessed separately at the Brunel Institute at the SS Great Britain, Great Western Dockyard.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

Holdings include the editorial files and papers of publishers Penguin Books and Hamish Hamilton, including material relating to figures such as Allen Lane, Betty Radice, Eunice Frost, and Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, and records connected to the 1960 trial concerning D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover"; manuscript material of the Moravian Church congregation in Maudlin Street, Bristol (1760-1893); and papers of John Addington Symonds and his daughters, Katharine Furse and Margaret Vaughan.

Access and Usage

Special Collections is located in the Arts and Social Sciences Library, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, open Tuesday to Friday, and requires proof of identity and an appointment booked in advance.