Hugh Stewart Hall: from Marlepitt to Manor House
July 15, 2025
Today, Hugh Stewart Hall is concealed in a wooded hollow, accessible by a winding path leading through an iron pergola covered in climbing plants and past the old tennis courts to the garden, where the story of this remarkable property began. The east side of the garden was once a ‘marlepitt’, according to 16th century …
Thoresby’s Lady Rozelle: the Nottinghamshire landowner who loved the open ocean
July 8, 2025
Lady Rozelle Raynes, born Frederica Rozelle Ridgway Pierrepont, had a long life (1925-2015) of chance, tragedy, adventure and happiness. Her parents were Gervas Evelyn Pierrepont and Marie-Louise Roosevelt Butterfield. They were privileged but not titled. Gervas fought with distinction in the First World War and then became a London County Councillor. Marie-Louise’s father had inherited …
Outreach Diary
June 26, 2025
Here at MSC, our outreach calendar is always bursting with a wide range of events, visits and classes– here’s just a snapshot of a few highlights from the year so far… First up, we were proud to co-host the module ‘Exploring the German Archive’ alongside the School of Modern Languages and Cultures! Across 10 sessions, …
Maurice William Partridge: Chemist and Accomplished Artist
June 17, 2025
This is a guest blog by Tinashe Chipawe, a Conservation student who completed a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025, working on the records of the Maurice William Partridge. When I first encountered the Maurice William Partridge Collection during my conservation placement at the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections, I was …
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 …
Find, follow, join us
