Archival material
The following archives are housed in the Special Collections Department, in the basement of the Arts and Social Sciences Library, where there are more detailed catalogues and indexes. Fuller collection descriptions are also available from the national Archives Hub and catalogues at A2A: Access to Archives.
Access and contact details are given on the main special collections page.
- Bateman Collection
- Brunel Collection
- Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust
- Jane Cobden Unwin
- Edward Conze
- George Albert Cooke
- Basil Cottle
- Rupert E. Davies
- Election addresses
- Victor and Joan Eyles
- Fry Portrait Collection
- Dame Katharine Furse
- Goldney family
- John Gregory
- Matthew Blagden Hale
- Hamish Hamilton Ltd
- Adey Horton
- Thomas Lloyd Humberstone
- Robin Ralph Jamison
- David James Cathcart King
- Kingswood Abbey
- Leicestershire poll books
- Liberal Party
- Bryan Little
- Philip Napier Miles
- Moravian Church
- Oatley Collection
- Paget family
- William Paty
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Pinney family
- Humphrey Repton
- Isaac Rosenberg
- Somerset Miners Association
- Michael Stern
- Steuart Family papers
- John Addington Symonds
- Robin Tanner
- Teichman Bequest
- Unitarian Congregation, Lewins Mead, Bristol
- University College and University of Bristol
- Wessex Regionalist Party
- West Indies Papers
Bateman Collection
Resources for the history of the Labour movement in the twentieth century assembled by Don Bateman. Contains some Independent Labour Party minute books and much local, pamphlet and ephemeral material. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Brunel Collection
Dating from 1817 to 1903, this is the finest collection of original source material on Isambard Kingdom Brunel, his father Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Henry Marc Brunel. Further information is available, including summary lists, biographical material and a history of the collection. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust
Minute books, accounts and plans, 1829-1939.
Jane Cobden Unwin
Letters to Jane Cobden Unwin, mainly on Irish independence, anti-slavery and aborigines protection, 1880-1939. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Edward Conze
Correspondence, notes, papers and publications in the field of oriental theology. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
George Albert Cooke
Diaries, 1884-1939. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Basil Cottle
Notes, papers, correspondence and publications on the cathedrals of France, mediaeval art, literature, archaeology and the English language; personal papers. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Rupert E. Davies
Published works, 1937-90. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Election addresses
Election addresses of almost all of the candidates at every British General Election since 1892. The collection, originally established by the National Liberal Club and since maintained by the University Library, also includes addresses from London County Council elections held between 1889 and 1913, most of the parliamentary by-elections between 1905 and 1919, and European Parliament elections since 1979.
Victor and Joan Eyles
Papers collected by Dr Victor Ambrose and Joan Mary Eyles on the history of geology, including Sowerby family correspondence, 1679-1869, and Buckland family wills, 1837-1856. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Fry Portrait Collection
Extra-illustrated books, engraved prints and portraits collected by John Doyle Fry and given by his son Henry R. Fry. Chiefly British subjects from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, with a smaller European section. Various specialised groupings including actors, Quakers, criminals and popes, and a fine collection of London views and maps. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Dame Katharine Furse
Correspondence, 1887-1952, with the Symonds family, Charles W. Furse, WRNS, VADs and Girl Guides.
Goldney family
Papers, 1681-1891. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
John Gregory
Notebooks, manuscripts, scrapbooks, correspondence, printed and unprinted verse works, Labour movement and Socialist material, books on and by Sir Richard Gregory, and local Bristol newspapers and books, 1877-1931. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Matthew Blagden Hale
Diaries, correspondence, official papers, sermons, press cuttings and photographs, 1677, 1822-95. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Editorial and historical archives to 1970. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Adey Horton
Reproductions of mediaeval painting, stained glass, sculpture, architectural and other features of iconographical significance, arranged by subject. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Thomas Lloyd Humberstone
Correspondence, 1895-1955. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Robin Ralph Jamison
Biographical papers, diaries, notebooks, research papers and lectures, and publications, 1934-1991.
Search for catalogue at A2A. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
David James Cathcart King
Drafts, notes and illustrations of published work on the mediaeval castle in England and Wales, together with correspondence, photographs and some autobiographical material, 1939-89. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Kingswood Abbey
Papers including grants of land to the abbey, confirmation of grants, accounts of receipt and expenditure, confirmations of privileges, and papal letters, 1225-1444. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Leicestershire poll books
Official poll books compiled during the 1775 general election, including lists of voters. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Liberal Party
Small collections of material, including:
- National Liberal Club and related papers (including some Gladstone family papers.)
- Western Counties Liberal Federation. Minutes and accounts, 1927-1967.
- Women's Liberal Federation. Minutes, accounts, correspondence, publications and centenary papers, 1888-1988.
- Yorkshire Liberal Association. Minutes, correspondence, etc., 1979-1987.
Bryan Little
Personal diaries and other papers, 1927-1956. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Philip Napier Miles
Autograph scores and correspondence, 1884-1951. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Moravian Church
Diaries, minute books and other items relating to the Moravian Church, Maudlin Street, Bristol, 1760-1893.
Reports of congregations and memoirs of individuals mainly related to the West Indies, 1728-1845. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Oatley Collection
Plans, drawings, letterbooks and related material from the architectural practices with which Sir George Oatley worked or was associated, including Henry Crisp, Edward William Godwin, Oatley and Lawrence, and Oatley and Brentnall, 1860s-1980s. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Paget family
Accounts, correspondence, family and estate papers, mainly relating to Somerset and Staffordshire, 1270-1920. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
William Paty
Apparently the copybook of the firm of William Paty and Son, 1740-1810. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Penguin Books Ltd
Editorial and historical archives, 1935-70; Betty Radice papers; Hans and Tatyana Schmoller, David Hedges, Shirley Tucker and Michael Rubinstein gifts. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Pinney family
Accounts, letter-books, family and estate papers, mainly relating to Dorset and the West Indies, 1650-1986. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Humphrey Repton
Correspondence, 1788-1814 (including the Red Book of Leigh Court, 1814, and other papers relating to the house and estate and its owners, the Miles family). A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Isaac Rosenberg
Material collected by Gordon Bottomley and Denys W. Harding whilst writing The collected works of Isaac Rosenberg, 1937. Includes works of Rosenberg and correspondence with members of his family and others, 1922-82. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Somerset Miners Association
Minutes, accounts, correspondence and other papers, 1868-1964. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Michael Stern, MP
The constituency papers and other related papers of Michael Stern, Conservative MP for Bristol North West, 1983-1997. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Steuart Family papers
Correspondence, 1786-1881. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
John Addington Symonds
Correspondence, literary manuscripts and family papers, 1884-1980. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Robin Tanner
Letters, 1920-1988, and autobiography. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Teichman Bequest
Twelve hand-coloured prints showing views of Moscow and St Petersburg in 1799, formerly in the Paschkof Palace, Moscow. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
Unitarian Congregation, Lewins Mead, Bristol
Correspondence, 1826-1834. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
University College and University of Bristol
Incomplete archives of the institution, 1876 onwards.
Papers relating to individuals connected with the University:
- John Beddoe
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Cecil Reginald Burch
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - A.R. Collar
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - J.H. Crook
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Peter Fowler
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Sir Charles Frank
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - K.R.L. Hall
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - H.E. Hinton
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Andrew Keller
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Heinz London
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Sir Alec Merrison
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Conwy Lloyd Morgan
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Sir Philip Morris
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Rev. De Lacy Evans O'Leary
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Cecil Powell
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - Sir Alfred Pugsley
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub and A2A: Access to Archives. - C.H. Sisson
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - W.K. Stanton
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - A.M. Tyndall
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub. - Philip Worsley
A collection description is available from the national Archives Hub.
Also black-and-white original and copy photographs, colour transparencies (35mm), glass negatives, lantern slides, postcards, illustrated maps, unprinted film negatives, posters, architectural drawings, fine art prints, recordings, cassettes and films. The subject matter includes University history, architecture (exteriors and interiors), staff, students, ceremonies, royal visits (King George V and Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth II), and visits by Chancellor Winston Churchill.
Wessex Regionalist Party
Correspondence, agendas and minutes of Party meetings, local government papers, policy papers and constitutions, and regionalist newsletters, 1975 - 1996. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.
West Indies Papers
Miscellaneous personal and estate records, 1663-1929. A collection description is also available from the national Archives Hub.