Roehampton Archives
Roehampton University has some very special historical collections to support your studies and research, including the archives of Froebel, Southlands and Whitelands Colleges (Digby Stuart archives are held by the Society of the Sacred Heart). These records can provide unique insights into the last 200 years of religious life in London. Specialist collections relating to religion, philosophy and ethics also include:
- The Jewish Resource Centre Collection
- The Bishop's Conference Collection relating to Catholic religious education
- The Queen's Foundation Authority and Governance Archive (Catholic church)
See below for further details of these and other special historical collections relating to dance, education, children's literature, and the renowned classics scholar and poet Robert Graves.
About us
The Foyle Special Collections & Archives hold outstanding and unique collections of books and archival documents supporting the teaching and research of the University of Roehampton.
The collections relate to Friedrich Froebel and early childhood education, the Froebel College, Children's Literature, the author Richmal Crompton, Dance, and Religious Studies.
We are located on the second floor of the University Library.
Bishops' Conference Collection
A National Project for Catechesis and Religious Education
This collection evolved from a project of the Department of Catechesis of the Education Commission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. Started 1972, its aim was to study the issues of national Religious Education and more specifically the Theology of Education.
The collection is an almost complete set of material produced for schools, parish and adult Catholic education during the course of the Project and reflects three decades of Catholic Education. It is of historical significance as a record of an approach to catechesis and religious education in the Catholic community in the UK.
Queen’s Foundation Authority and Governance Archive
Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain 1998 – 2002
The archive evolved from a project commissioned in 1996 by the Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham. The project investigated the nature, exercise and experience of authority and governance within the Roman Catholic Church in England, Scotland and Wales. It involved conversations, interviews and conferences and approximately 1,000 participants from clergy and laity. The project has generated a large number of written documents and audio records.
The main areas investigated were:
- The model church as it operated locally in comparison to the official diocesan model;
- The engagement of the parish with diocesan structures and personnel and parish leadership;
- Parish leadership, this included lay participation and formation and mission.
Jewish Resource Collection
The Jewish Resource Centre Collection is a collection of theological, historical and pedagogical books. It was founded by the Jewish Resource Centre in 1996 as a joint project between The Roehampton Institute School of Education and the local Jewish Community; further material has been added since. The aim of the Centre is to support Judaism and Jewish education and culture.
The Collection consists of theological, historical and pedagogical texts that will be of interest to a wide range of study programmes including Religious Education, History, Social Sciences and Human Rights. The JRC Collection also addresses the wider community and will be of use to Hebrew specialist, the Religious Education teacher, the member of the Jewish community and to the general reader interested in Judaism.