Cary Ellison was a talent spotter who worked for Spotlight. As part of his work from 1953-1980 he went on twice yearly tours around repertory performances across the UK to locate the up and coming performers, directors and plays. The Cary Ellison Theatre Programme Collection consists of the theatre programmes collected by Cary Ellison on these trips, complete with his added notes on the actors, plays and directors he saw. He commented on a number of well known actors in the early stages of their careers, as well as offering his view on several well known plays.

Papers of Cpt Francis Allen Lister, consisting of a large number of files of engineering and thermodynamic notes. There are also files on a damage control course, 1943, the Senior Officers' Course, War College, 1949 to 1950, and intelligence reports about Nazi Germany, 1947. In addition, there are two physics notebooks, undated, and official service documents. Finally, there are a large number of photographs, some of which relate to the life of Lister's father, Engineer Rear-Admiral Francis Henry Lister (d 1918).