About the archives
The University Archives and Special Collections contain many resources to support teaching and research. As well as material relating to the history of the University, from its foundations in 1896 up to the present day, we also hold many special collections, built up over the past forty years by purchase, gift, deposit and bequest. These include a number of unique collections, mostly relating to late nineteenth and early twentieth-century literary, political and social history. They are a rich and diverse resource, supporting academic research, teaching and learning, while also being of wider interest to local historians, genealogists, and the local community in general.