Art, Antidotes and Anatomy
June 11, 2025
Founded in 1828, The Nottingham Medico-Chirurgical Book Society is believed to be the second oldest medical society in the UK. The well over 1000 books which made up its library, today held at Manuscripts and Special Collections, stretch back even further, into the mid-15th century. As you might imagine, within their pages you can find …
The Beginnings of University Park
May 22, 2025
Did you know that University Park was originally intended to be a ‘model village’ rather than a university? Prominent industrialist Sir Jesse Boot purchased the Highfields estate in 1919, with the initial idea of transforming it into an attractive self-contained suburb to house Boots employees. However, around the same time, he had been engaging in …
The University of Nottingham Chapel
May 20, 2025
If you mooch around in the depths of the Portland Building you may stumble across Oasis, the Chaplaincy and Faith Support services at the University of Nottingham. There you will find – alongside a multi-faith room, Muslim prayer rooms, and cosy common room – the University’s chapel. Beautifully decorated with elaborate wooden trim, panelled doors, …
The British Cotton Growing Association
May 13, 2025
This is a guest blog by Alejandra Ponce Martorell, an undergraduate student who completed a Conservation placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025 working on the records of the Cotton Research Corporation. The cotton collection contains the papers and library of printed material of the British/Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. Founded in 1902, the corporation …
From Clues to Context: Exploring Archives as an Archaeology Student
April 28, 2025
This is a guest blog by Yan Chin, a second year Archaeology undergraduate student who completed a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025 working on the records of Florence Boot Hall of residence. How does it feel to work with archives, with their rich historical value? As an archaeology student, this question’s been …
On the Land
April 24, 2025
In celebration of our new exhibition, ‘Country Lives: Exploring the English countryside from 1800’, today we’re sharing a selection of items from our collections which can give us insight into how the countryside has been used and depicted in the past… Many documents recording property holding and the changing use of land over the centuries …
Life in 19th century Ethiopia
April 2, 2025
One of the most famous 19th-century travellers who makes an appearance in our collection is Mansfield Parkyns (1823-1894). Parkyns, a younger son of Sir Thomas Parkyns of Bunny Hall, Nottinghamshire, decided to leave England abruptly aged 19 in 1842 without making his family aware of his plans, or keeping them updated regarding his whereabouts… His …
Manuscripts and Special… Experiences!
March 25, 2025
This is a guest post by Hannah Gregg, second year Classics and Archaeology student at the University of Nottingham, who recently completed a placement at Manuscripts and Special Collections. My expectations… Like going into any new environment, I was extremely apprehensive before starting, especially as I’d never had experience in the archives before. Moreover, my …
Through the Lens: A Victorian Travel Album
March 19, 2025
Following on from our previous blog, which unravelled the mystery surrounding a collection of 19th century slides depicting buildings and landscapes in India, this week we’re exploring another collection of Victorian photographs, following in the footsteps of Carrie S. North as she travels around France, Monaco, Algeria and Italy in 1891… Unfortunately, very little is …
Stunning slides saved from skip
March 13, 2025
Here at Manuscripts and Special Collections, we hold many visually striking items, but an intriguing set of over 300 glass slides showing views of India – which depict monuments, landscapes and people – stand out even against this tough competition. The photographs date to approximately the 1860s and 1870s, but unfortunately, we can’t be certain …
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