Library & Archive

Our Library & Archive contains information on the history and architecture of theatre buildings in the UK and is open to the public five days a week.

Accessing the Library & Archive

We encourage researchers to visit our central London Resource Centre to undertake their own research. The Resource Centre is located at our offices on Charing Cross Road and is open Monday - Friday, 10.30 am - 4.30 pm. Please contact us to book an appointment. We can also answer requests for information by telephone or email.

Library

Our Reference Library holds over 1,500 books on theatre buildings and their history, architecture, design, and operation. We also look after the Library of the Association of British Theatre Technicians and subscribe to specialist magazines and journals.

library books

Library downloads

Archive

Our Archive contains our business records from 1976 onwards and special collections which have been donated to the Trust. It includes scrapbooks, press cuttings, building descriptions, planning applications, architectural drawings, correspondence, postcards and photographs.

Some of our special collections have been catalogued. You can find out more about these collections on Archives Hub. Cataloguing work is ongoing so please contact us if you can't find what you're looking for.

Open up! Archive Project

In August 2016 we ran our second annual archive internship, thanks to a Sharing Heritage Grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Five interns joined us for three weeks to help us catalogue our architectural drawings of Regional Theatres, and created the Trust’s first ever online exhibit with the Google Arts & Culture.

Exhibition

Archive downloads