Records of the Mary Ward Centre, formerly known as the Mary Ward Settlement and the Passmore Edwards Settlement. Also some records of predecessor institutions University Hall Settlement and Marchmont Hall; and associated organisations such as the Holborn Community Centre and the Association of Principals of Literary Institutes and Colleges.

The records include papers relating to the foundation of the Settlement, particularly correspondence of Mary Ward with supporters and benefactors; minutes of the Council, the Finance and General Purposes Committee and other Committees; administrative and financial files relating to the daily running of the Settlement and the maintenance of Settlement property; papers of the Chairman and Wardens which relate to the management of the Settlement and reflect the interests of individual wardens, particularly relating to adult education provision in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s; papers relating to various appeals to raise funds to prevent the closure of the Settlement; and papers relating to grant applications.

Also papers relating to the activities of the Settlement including prospectuses and syllabi outlining adult education courses; papers of youth clubs, vacation schools, evening play centres, clubs for the elderly and clubs for women; papers relating to the School for Invalid Children; papers relating to the provision of financial and legal advice; papers regarding the introduction of computing services in the early 1990s; press cuttings and photographs. The collection also includes some personal papers of Mary Ward and her daughter Dorothy Ward.

Records of Marylebone Magistrates Court, 1905-1994, including court registers; means registers; legal aid registers and licensing registers. Court registers record the date of the hearing, the name of the informant or complainant (often the police), the name of the defendant, a brief note of the offence and the decision of the magistrate.