The records of Musica Reservata comprise original notes, company minutes, correspondence, lyrics and programmes, 1960-1992, notably including manuscript and typescript notes and proofs compiled by Michael Morrow describing the development of Renaissance music for talks, lectures and his published works, [1960-1985]; minutes of the company Council, 1972-1978; company reports, 1972-1974; rehearsal notes, itineraries and tour plans, 1972-1974; correspondence with Michael Morrow and others, mainly concerning the organisation of concerts including fees, 1960-1981; assorted manuscript and typescript lyrics of early modern music, [1960-1980]; programmes and leaflets advertising Musica Reservata performances, 1960-1989; press cuttings on early music, including reviews, 1971-1989.

Records of the magazine Adam International Review and its editor, Miron Grindea, 1941-1995, and associated papers dating back to c1903, consisting of a wide range of material dealing with aspects of British and European cultural activity, particularly since the 1930s, and relating to art, literature, music, literary criticism, and the history of ideas. The archive includes the Adam International Review, issues 152-499 (wanting 186, 210-211, 218, 224-228, 331-54), 1941, 1946-1988, and indexes; microfilm copies of nos 13-14, 65, 148-149, 151, and issues dating from 1936 and 1938; and published copies of Christopher Fry, 'Genius, Talent and Failure: the Brontes' (The Adam Lecture 1986); Yehudi Menuhin, 'Tolerance' (The Adam Lecture 1987); Frances Stern, 'A Concordance to Proust' (Adam Books, 1987); 'Miron Grindea 1909-1995: a Celebration'. Unpublished papers of the Review were created by or relate to many prominent writers, artists and musicians of the 20th century including Natalie Clifford Barney, Samuel Beckett, Max Beerbohm, Nicolas Bentley, Isaiah Berlin, Edmund Blunden, Agatha Christie, Jean Cocteau, Ivy Compton Burnett, Cyril Connolly, Benedetto Croce, Cecil Day-Lewis, Lawrence Durrell, T S Eliot, George Enescu, E M Forster, Christopher Fry, William Golding, Duncan Grant, Robert Graves, Graham Greene, L P Hartley, Storm Jameson, Augustus John, Arthur Koestler, F R Leavis, Rose Macaulay, Compton Mackenzie, Thomas Mann, Katherine Mansfield, Walter de la Mare, John Masefield, Somerset Maugham, Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Miller, Henry Miller, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, Iris Murdoch, Pablo Picasso, Anthony Powell, J B Priestley, Marcel Proust, Herbert Read, Jean Rhys, Ralph Richardson, Vita Sackville-West, Jean Paul Sartre, Siegfried Sassoon, Ronald Searle, George Bernard Shaw, Georges Simenon, the Sitwell family, C P Snow, Stephen Spender, Frances Stern, August Strindberg, Dylan Thomas, Arnold Wesker, Angus Wilson, Stefan Zweig, and others. Other material relates to the management of the magazine and includes editorial material (notes, proofs, preparatory research material, and correspondence required for production of an issue) and papers relating to circulation. The material is varied in form and comprises correspondence, manuscripts, typescripts, proofs with author's and editor's corrections and printed documents, including poems, stories, and criticism, both published and rejected for publication; photographs; original drawings and illustrations; news cuttings and other ephemera such as programmes for events; tape recordings including the Adam lectures, 1985-1987; and interview transcripts.

Experimental notes, working papers, correspondence and lecture summaries compiled by Charles Wheatstone, 1836-1875, and photographs collected by him in that period. Notably including papers relating to the development and testing of the telegraph, [1836-1960]; descriptions of experiments and test results concerning the measurement of electromotive forces and electrical potential, [1840-1875]; experimental observations on the nature of magnetism, electricity and thermodynamics, including electromagnet design, batteries and dynamos, [1834-1855]; working papers relating to optics including experiments into refraction, colouration of compounds and polarisation, [1850-1875]; drafts of lectures on sound and musical instruments prepared by Wheatstone, [1832-1837]; material relating to the management of the Wheatstone collection of scientific instruments and library, 1890-1992; biographical material relating to the life of Wheatstone, the invention of the telegraph and Wheatstone's musical instrument manufacturing business, with unrelated newspapers, 1757-1975; stereoscopic photographs and glass negatives taken by Roger Fenton, Samuel Buckle, Jules Duboscq and others, featuring landscapes, still lifes, panoramic scenes of cities including Paris and Moscow and the interior and exterior of the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, Sydenham, 1851, and especially the Exposition Universelle, Paris, 1855, [1850-1901]; artefacts on loan from Department of Physics, King's College London, including telegraph apparatus, a nail fiddle and other prototype musical instruments, [1834-1875]; exhibition of scientific and musical instruments, [1834-1875].

Papers of Sir George Nares including notes concerning the voyage of HMS ALERT and HMS DISCOVERY, 1875-1876; copy of instructions for survey in the ALERT, 1878 and list of dangers requiring examination; autographed menu for a dinner given to welcome home members of the ALERT and DISCOVERY expedition, 6 Dec 1876; note made in preparation for an obituary of Nares; song sheet of 'Away to the North: a song for the Arctic expedition of 1875' by M Mackay.

Papers relating to the Athletics Union, comprising correspondence concerning the purchase and equipping of College sports grounds, 1919-1934, and an accounts book, 1937-1944; correspondence of the Sports Club, 1912 and 1942; minutes of the Architectural Society, 1894-1919; programmes and posters relating to the Bedford Light Opera Group, [1960-1970]; copies of Bots Up, the magazine of the Botany Department, 1972-1974; copy of Bio-Log, the magazine of the Biological Society (and successor to Bots Up), 1977; copies of Ho, the magazine of the Psychology Department, 1972-1974; minutes and member lists of the Geological Society, 1910-1944.

Papers, 1887-1977, relating to Blackwell's time as Head of Botany at Royal Holloway College, University of London, notably correspondence with her parents, 1922-1945, discussing life at Royal Holloway College; letters of congratulation on her appointment as Head of Botany at Royal Holloway College, 1922; correspondence and notes, 1928-1949, relating to gifts to Royal Holloway College; personal correspondence, 1941-1970, notably with Ellen Charlotte Higgins, former Principal of Royal Holloway College, (Elsie) Marjorie Williamson, Principal of Royal Holloway College, and John Cameron; papers, 1887-1969, relating to the Royal Holloway College Botany Department, including Botany Lunches, 1949-1977, Botany School Record Books, 1887-1969, and correspondence relating to field trips, 1930-1944; Blackwell's copies of the Royal Holloway College Boat Club Rules, 1914-1918, and the Royal Holloway Rules and Regulations, 1925; notes, memoranda, correspondence, minutes and reports of the University of London Botanical Supply Unit, 1944-1952; invitations and Christmas cards, 1922-1963; autograph books, 1922-1950, including one presented to Blackwell by her old students and staff at a luncheon at the Forum Club, [London], 1950. Records, 1897-1971, relating to the history of Royal Holloway College and the Botany Department, including press cuttings, photographs, memoirs, correspondence and draft articles, notably and article by Blackwell entitled '75 years of Royal Holloway College Botany Department', copies of College songs, and obituaries of old colleagues and students. Publications, 1902-1949, mainly comprising histories of the Botanical Departments of Liverpool and Manchester Universities. Photographs, 1880-1970, including the Botany Department staff and students, 1898-1962; Botany Department field trips, 1898-1948; Royal Holloway College staff, buildings and grounds, 1908-1952; Botany laboratories and gardens, 1912-1949; social and botanical activities at Royal Holloway College, 1927-1955.

Brochures and syllabuses relating to various departments, 1968-1972, notably Physics, Chemistry and German. Record Book of the Zoology Department, 1936-1952, giving lists of students and notes on developments in the department. Departmental records of the Faculty of Music, notably Registers, 1915-1969, of members and music played by Royal Holloway College orchestra and choirs, lists of musical events and meetings of music societies, and lists of performers and music performed at music examinations and festivals; Organist's Handbook, [1904-1915], including details of procedure for various musical events; minute books of the Music Club, 1916-1949, and the Music Association, 1934-1954; Concert Programmes and invitations, 1908, 1915-1970.

Papers, 1788-1949 and undated, of Vendla Thane, comprising personal papers, 1890, 1910-1949 and undated, such as references, 1910-1911, 1933-1934, passport, 1923, curriculum vitae, 1923, degree certificates, 1927, a few miscellaneous items of correspondence, medical material, photographs, 1888, 1910s-1940s and undated, covering the years of her youth with her parents, her school career, and various Thane relatives, and miscellaneous printed material; genealogical notes on the Klingbergs of Stockholm (descended from the Vasas, the old Swedish royal family), 1788-1902 and undated, possibly written by Jenny, Lady Thane, and including documents about C G Thrström, 1788-1809, papers relating to the engagement and marriage of George Thane and Jenny Klingberg, 1883-1884, and memorabilia relating to Jenny Lind and her family, possibly collected by Lady Thane, and including a manuscript of 'Jenny Lind' by Lady Thane. The papers and photographs date largely from the 1900s and 1910s, and there is little material relating to Vendla's life after the 1930s, or to Sir George Dancer Thane.

Leaf from a choirbook dating from the 14th century.

Papers of Alfred James Hipkins, comprising notebooks and scrapbooks compiled with the help of his daughter Edith, proofs, manuscripts, publications and some letters dealing with Hipkins' interest in musical matters particularly pitch and the history of instruments, [1862-1901].

Musical score for the principle theme from the incidental music for John Masfield's Melloney Hotspur (William Heinemann, London, 1922), with an accompanying letter sent by John Hotchkiss to Rev L.H. Clench of Sheringham, 1952.

Copy of a violin Sonata composed by Francesco Geminiani in 1739, dated 20 Mar 1829.

Signatures of the committee and members of The Madrigal Society, 1831.

Lists of the several catches, glees and canons to which gold medals have been adjudged by the Catch Club, from the year of its institution in 1761; with the names of the respective composers and the dates of their compositions. The awards for 1821-32 are added in manuscript.

A manuscript fair copy of the opera Gabriella Di Vergy, c 1825-1845, with passages written in the hand of the composer, Gaetano Donizetti.

Letter from V Le Roy of 8g, Boulevard Halesherbes VIII to an unknown recipient, 23 Jun 1945. Concerning documents relating to Georges Bizet's father's family.

Papers of Vincenzo Bellini, comprise a manuscript musical score, excerpt from the opera 'Beatrice di Tenda' (1833) by Vincenzo Bellini; copy, in unidentified hand, entitled 'Romanza, Ah! non pensar, nell' Opera Beatrice di Tenda'.

British Library music manuscripts, 19th century, comprise manuscript transcriptions of music manuscripts held at the British Library, in several unidentified hands. Contains copies of the following: - Harleian 4664: codex containing a wide variety of liturgical music, principally antiphons, of various dates - Harleian 2954: 15th century Sarum hymnary - Unidentified Harleian ms. - Lansdowne 460: 15th century Gregorian antiphonary - Lansdowne 462: late 14th century Sarum antiphonary - Lansdowne 463: late 14th century Sarum antiphomary and Kalendar - Harleian 978: antiphons for Easter and Saint's Days from mainly English sources.

Papers concerning American theatre and opera scrapbooks, 1875-1892, comprise to scrapbooks containing programmes of plays, concerts and operas performed in the USA, with particular reference to New York and the Metropolitan Opera House, from 1875 to 1892. MS1088/2 includes postcards of members of singers performing in the Metropolitan Opera 1890 to 1891 season, posing in some of their operatic roles. The volumes contained two loose inserts, which have now become MS1088/3 and MS1088/4.

Musical scores in manuscript of two versions of A Lyke-Wake: Border Ballad 1934.

Manuscript volume containing a verse play, a prose history, and several songs concerning the Escalade of Geneva undertaken by Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy on the 12 Dec 1602.
The play is entitled 'L'Escalade de Genève, Tragi Comèdie Representée pour la prémière fois' 12 Dec 1603. The history is called 'Histoire De la Miraculeuse Délivrance envoyée de Dieu à la Ville de Genève' 12 Dec 1602. The songs, or 'Chansons de L'Escalade', are in French (Savoyard dialect - 4 songs) and English (1 song entitled 'On the Twelfth of December with wicked intent'. The airs of the songs are often given, e.g. 'Sur l'air de la Vendange'. The index to the first lines of the songs is dated 22 Oct 1765.
The front cover of the leather binding is stamped in gold 'Gedeon Macaire Fils MDCCLXIV'.

Fragment of a folio containing four staves of musical notation; on the recto, part of the music is headed '1. H.S. Jeige or hornpip / the mock to the Comitee. Jo. Houlartson', and on the verso there is an apparently unrelated bass part, possibly in a different hand. The manuscript was written in the 16th century.

Records of the Union of Graduates in Music, 1893-1972, including: minute books; copies of the annual report; correspondence relating to Edward Elgar's presidency of the Union, the honorary membership of Princess Elizabeth and various institutions; miscellaneous papers, including a printed copy of the Constitution of the Union and a printed history of the Union written in 1972.

Letters from Sir Robert Moray to his friend Alexander Bruce, Earl of Kincardine, 1657-1673. Also known as 'The Kincardine Papers'. Bruce was sick of the ague in Bremen for part of this time, and the letters were written to alleviate the tedium of his illness, hence ranging over topics which might not otherwise have been the subjects of correspondence. They include accounts of chemical experiments in his laboratory, his interest in magnetism, medicine in all its aspects, horticulture, fuel, whale fishing, its risks and profits, coal mining, water wheels and tide mills, stone quarrying and the various qualities of different stones, the pumping works needed for undersea coal mines at Bruce's home at Culross in Fifeshire, even to the trees whose wood was best for pipelines, and the diameter of the bore best suited to the purpose. Familiarity is shown with mathematical and surveying instruments, with music, and all sorts of mechanical devices and especially clocks and watches, more particularly the taking out of a patent in respect of a clock for use at sea for finding longitude. Bruce is advised on the choice of books over a wide range of subjects. Moray includes anecdotes to amuse his ailing correspondent; he describes his quiet life and is enthusiastic about many of his chemical experiments. Notable at the end of the letters Moray added what he described as his Masonic signature - a pentagram which also occurs in his crest.

Letters from Sir Robert Moray to his friend Alexander Bruce, Earl of Kincardine, also known as 'The Kincardine Papers'. Bruce was sick of the ague in Bremen for part of this time, and the letters were written to alleviate the tedium of of Bruce's illness, hence ranging over topics which might not otherwise have been the subjects of correspondence. They include accounts of chemical experiments in his laboratory, his interest in magnetism, medicine in all its aspects, horticulture, fuel, whale fishing, its risks and profits, coal mining, water wheels and tide mills, stone quarrying and the various qualities of different stones, the pumping works needed for undersea coal mines at Bruce's home at Culross in Fifeshire, even to the trees whose wood was best for pipelines, and the diameter of the bore best suited to the purpose. Familiarity is shown with mathematical and surveying instruments, with music, and all sorts of mechanical devices and especially clocks and watches, more particularly the taking out of a patent in respect of a clock for use at sea for finding longitude. Bruce is advised on the choice of books over a wide range of subjects. Moray includes anecdotes to amuse his ailing correspondent; he describes his quiet life and is enthusiastic about many of his chemical experiments. Notable at the end of the letters Moray added what he described as his Masonic signature - a pentagram which also occurs in his crest.

Papers of Bernarr Rainbow, [1940-1998], including photographs, personalia, music manuscripts, sound recordings, drafts of published and unpublished works, and a small amount of correspondence.

Papers of Max Lock, 1936-1988, produced and collected by Max Lock and the Max Lock Group, relate to Lock's career as a planner and architect and to wider issues in planning, particularly after World War Two, and comprise working papers (including survey papers) and finished material.

They include correspondence; notes and card indexes; photographs (some aerial), slides, drawings, maps and plans; Bills, Acts, white papers and other official publications; books, articles, reports and other publications (some annotated); typescripts; press cuttings; and conference papers. The bulk of the material dates from the 1940s to the early 1970s. Material relating to Lock's career and projects within the UK includes papers on his time as a Watford councillor and his architectural practice in the 1930s, including a timber house he designed at Stanmore, Middlesex; Hull, 1939-1957, including conflicts between Lock and his superiors; Scalby, 1940-1941; Middlesborough, 1943-1970; Hartlepool, 1946-1970; Portsmouth, 1948-1973; Salisbury, 1949-1969; Sutton Coldfield, 1950-1967; Bedford, 1950-1971; Sevenoaks, 1954-1965; Aberdare, 1957-1959; Stratford (West Ham), 1957-1962; Hackney and Shoreditch, 1960-1971; Woodley, 1962-1969; Oldham, 1962-1971; Covent Garden, 1963-1971; Battle, 1964; Brentford and Chiswick, 1964-1970; Torbay, 1968-1969; Dunstable, 1968-1972; Greater London Development Plan Inquiry, 1969-1971, and other material on GLC planning and transport; Beverley, 1969-1972. Material on projects and visits overseas includes papers on Scandinavia, 1937-1939, 1946-1949; India, Pakistan and Ceylon, 1946-1955; the Netherlands, including the Town Planning Institute Tour (1946), 1946-1957; the Americas, including Brazil, the West Indies and the USA, 1952-1969; Italy, 1952-1970; the Middle East, including Iraq and Jordan, 1954-1958; Australia, 1959-1960; Aden, 1960-1961; Kuwait, 1961; Nigeria, including Kaduna and Maiduguri, 1962-1975.

The collection includes a large volume of accumulated material, 1944-1987, largely printed material by other authors, including other planners, planning bodies and architects, some from architectural and planning journals and from the national and regional press, on planning and related issues both in the UK and overseas, such as planning law and procedures; central and local government and administration; public inquiries; housing; historic buildings; urban development; industry and retail; transport infrastructure, including roads and ports; traffic, noise, and the environment; social and economic issues including employment, labour, and social class; population levels and density; public amenities and utilities; land use and open space; and statistical data. Some papers relate to the affairs, including legal and financial matters, of the Max Lock Group; the architectural work of Max Lock and Partners; premises in Victoria Square, London; and the Max Lock Group Nigeria. Papers of or concerning Lock himself include his notebooks and other papers reflecting the development of his ideas; papers relating to publications and broadcasts; papers relating to professional bodies, including the TPI, RIBA, TCPA and UDAG; personal correspondence; photographs of him and his friends; papers on music and architecture, including lecture notes; articles about Lock, and his obituary in the Independent, 3 May 1988.

Records of the organisation known variously as the Polytechnic Sports Club, the The Institute of the Polytechnic Sports and Social Clubs, and The Polytechnic Sports Club Committee, as well as records of the Polytechnic's Men's and Women's Council, and Joint Council.

This collection includes all records relating to the organisation of sports and social activities by members of the Polytechnic except for records of the individual clubs themselves, which are catalogued as separate collections. However it does include correspondence with the clubs by the Secretary and Committees. This collection also includes papers relating to the award of Polytechnic-wide medals and trophies, including the Elsie Hoare Trophy, Studd Trophy and Ditchman Trophy.

Archives, [1957]-1996, of Africa95, including material from the festival administrators, producers and participants.

Various deposits, c1980-1996, on individual artists or on planning Africa95 include correspondence, printed material, photographs, and slides of the work of artists from Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the USA.

Records of the central administration, 1991-1996, comprise planning papers and correspondence, 1991-1993; minutes of the Executive Committee, 1993-1995, Board of Trustees, 1995-1996, Funding Committee, 1993-1994, and Annual General Meeting, 1995; Chairman's correspondence, 1993-1996; research materials on non-western arts in Europe; Executive Council records, comprising correspondence, 1992-1995, reports received, 1993, 1995, and Trustees' report and financial statements, 1995; contracts, information and correspondence of the Co-ordinator, 1993-1994; International Council of Artists proposals, contact lists and correspondence, 1993-1994; brochures, 1993-1995; legal papers concerning incorporation, lease of premises, and charitable status, 1993-1995.

Records relating to arts management, 1980-1996, cover funding and sponsorship, 1993-1995; publicity, 1994-1995; press activity, 1994-1996, including cuttings; posters, 1993-1995; general administration, including personnel and finance, 1994-1995; arts organisations and other festivals, 1991-1995; subject files, 1985-1996, including exhibition catalogues on people and places including Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, the USA, and Zimbabwe; videos, 1980-1995, including artists and their work; publications and exhibition catalogues, 1980-1995, for Algeria, Angola, France, Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the UK.

Records relating to finance and development, 1991-1996, cover budgets and funding, companies and sponsorship, and Trusts.

Records on receptions and launches, 1993-1995, relate to events in various locations.

Records relating to Africa95 Nigeria, 1994-1995, include correspondence and photographs.

Records relating to arts events across the UK cover visual arts (photography, fine art, sculpture, calligraphy, metalwork, textiles, and architecture), 1991-1996; cinema, 1993-1995; music, including classical, traditional, gospel, world, jazz, reggae, and popular music [1957]-1996 (including videos, sound recordings and scores); performing arts, including dance, theatre, and puppetry, 1989-1996 (including videos); literature, including poetry, 1993-1995.

Records relating to other activities cover conferences on African arts, including events at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Royal African Society, and Courtauld Institute of Art, 1993-1996; education and young peoples' events, 1993-1996; international workshops and residencies, including events in Senegal, Zimbabwe, London, and Yorkshire, 1990-1996; television and radio, 1992-1995 (including sound recordings of programmes on Radios 1, 3 and 4).

Records relating to post-festival administration, 1994-1996, cover evaluation, celebratory concert, finance, and archive arrangements.

Papers relating to missionary work in Zambia (northern Rhodesia), comprising a printed edition of Bemba hymns (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1933), including introduction by A R Godfrey, with manuscript scores added; two undated notebooks containing manuscript scores, one belonging to A R Godfrey and containing songs in African languages [1930s]; undated manuscript account of the history of the Tonga tribe, written for educational use [1930s].

Collected papers, c1810-c1899 (some undated), of the Rev William Ernest Taylor, including Swahili verses, proverbs, chronicles, stories, songs, hymns, religious texts, and vocabularies, and some of Taylor's own correspondence.

Papers, c1932-1961, of Dr Arnold Adrian Baké, comprising notes on Indian music and folklore, in addition to songs in various Indian languages and translations in English and Dutch.

Papers, 1950s-1980s, of Professor David W Arnott on West African languages, comprising papers, including notes and questionnaires, from his study leave (1955-1956) spent travelling from Nigeria through Niger, Dahomey (Benin), Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), French Sudan (Mali), Senegal and Gambia to Guinea and Sierra Leone; copies (photocopied and photographic) of manuscripts; translations and transcriptions; transcriptions of language recordings; seminar and conference papers; teaching material; offprints of articles by Arnott; typescripts or corrected proofs of articles; and reviews of books by other authors. The papers relate largely to Nigeria but also to Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal, relating mainly to Fulfulde, Fula and Fulani (language of the Fulani people of West Africa), and also to Tiv and to Hausa poetry and songs. The subjects include literature, including poetry (religious and non-religious), oral literature and folklore, proverbial lore, Islamic influences on African literary cultures, grammar, including morphology, verbal and nominal systems, nouns, vocabulary, and the distribution of dialects.

The collection contains Lindsay Cooper’s personal papers, works and associated materials. This includes autobiographical writing, including diaries (1950s - 1994) which detail her daily life, living with multiple sclerosis and her relationships with women. Alongside this are material relating to her early life and family history. It also includes musical scores, notebooks, photographs, correspondence, ephemera directly and indirectly related to her music career and life within the jazz and progressive rock scene. The collection also contains a diverse variety of audio visual material, both commercial studio and live recordings, both written by Cooper or featuring her, which have been digitised.