The University of Birmingham’s Special Collections department comprises three distinct research libraries: the Barber Fine Art Library, the Cadbury Research Library, and the Shakespeare Institute Library.
The Cadbury Research Library, in the Muirhead Tower, is the home for Special Collections and Archives of the University of Birmingham. The collections comprise approximately 200,000 pre-1850 books dating from 1471 and some 4 million manuscripts. The Cadbury Research Library welcomes all interested users, both staff and students of the University and members of the public.
The following list represents only a small number of topics which may be of interest. Please search the Cadbury Research Library Archive Catalogue for details of further collections:
Collections include the British Association for American Studies; papers of Sir Evelyn Shuckburgh (1909-1994) diplomat; and the archive of Beatrice Warde (1900-1969), Vice-President of the British American Canadian Associates.
Collections include extensive original 19th century artwork of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema; John Hardman & Co., Birmingham, stained glass window designs, 19th-20th century; and a collection of more than 2000 Soviet propaganda posters, spanning the period from the 1917 revolution until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Collections include a Theatre Collection of some 5,000 printed articles, cuttings, playbills and photographs relating to theatre performances in London and the provinces during the 20th century. They also have the personal papers of playwrights and actors such as Noel Coward, Beatrice Campbell (Mrs. Patrick Campbell) and Norman Painting. See the Drama and Theatre Subject Resource Guide for further information.
The Shakespeare Institute Library also houses a number of special collections on textual editing and criticism.
Collections comprise a number of 19th-20th century archive collections including Westhill College, the British Association of Teachers of the Deaf; and the Church Missionary Society archive.
Collections include the papers of Dr. Ernest A Watson OBE, detailing his scientific and engineering career and University of Birmingham staff and student papers relating to engineering courses throughout the 20th century.
Among the manuscripts and archives are the papers of a number of more recent authors such as Francis Brett Young, Maria Edgeworth, David Lodge, Jean Overton Fuller, Martin Booth, Henry Reed, John Sommerfield, Harriet Martineau and the Sceptre Press Archive.
Collections include the archives and records of organisations involved in local government, such as the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and its forerunner, the Association of Municipal Corporations, and the County Councils Association.
Collections include records of Birmingham University Medical Society, and the Birmingham Dental Students' Society; records of Queen's College and its predecessor institution, Birmingham School of Medicine; papers of Preston Maxwell - medical missionary, the Ronald Cohen Letter Collection on the subject of the history of dentistry; medical papers of surgeon Charles Leedham-Green. See also the History of Medicine Resource Guide which details archives and rare books held at the Cadbury Research Library
Collections include a number of archive collections related to prominent composers available for research, including Edward Elgar, Granville Bantock, Christopher Edmunds and Percy Grainger. Also held is a significant collection of scores of musical works commissioned by the John Feeney Charitable Trust as first performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Music Manuscript Collection, the Shaw-Hellier collection (18th Century music manuscripts) and many other archival collections.
Collections include the personal and political papers of Anthony Eden, Neville Chamberlain, Joseph Chamberlain, Austen Chamberlain, White Russian printed literature, and a number of local authority associations including records of the Association of Municipal Corporations.
The Leslie Weatherhead archive contains a diversity of material relating to Weatherhead as a popular and controversial author, preacher, lecturer and counsellor who was a pioneer in relating psychology, religion and healing in the 20th Century
Collections include the archive of the Mason Science College; the Birmingham University Astronomical Society, 1909-1912; The University of Birmingham Chemical Society; papers of Sir Oliver Lodge (1851-1940); and the papers of Maurice Stacey, including the History of Chemistry in Birmingham, 1930-1980 and papers relating to the Lunar Society of Birmingham
The extensive Baykov Collection of books and materials relating to Russia and Eastern Europe in the twentieth century is in the Research Reserve. The related collection of over 2,000 Soviet era posters spans the period from the October Revolution until the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The Mingana Collection consists mainly of Arabic and Syriac Middle Eastern manuscripts with some Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Greek manuscripts and Hebrew/Jewish works. The Church Missionary Society archive covers 1799 to 2009. Other prominent collections include the Harold Turner Collection, Leslie Weatherhead and the YMCA Archive.
We produce a series of subject and resource guides provide details of our archive and rare book collections for specified topics, which are an excellent starting point for research. Examples include:
Full list of Cadbury Research Subject and Resource Guides
If you know of material held at the Cadbury Research Library that could be added to our resource guides, or you'd like to suggest a theme for a new guide, please email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Image of Mary Endicott Chamberlain by permission of Cadbury Research Library.