Our Special Collections - Open to the Public

The Livesey Collection
Named in honour of Joseph Livesey of Preston, one of the early teetotal pioneers, the Livesey Collection forms an internationally significant resource for the study of the Temperance Movement.
Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory
Records and papers from the Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory on Moor Park in Preston. Explore sketches, notes and papers by George James Gibbs from the 1920's and 1930's.
The Woodruff Collection
William Woodruff's books are catalogued and deposited in the Woodruff Collection of the University of Central Lancashire.
The Wainwright Collection
Donated by the Wainwright Conservative Club in Blackpool, the collection contains late Victorian texts relating to British and Irish political history.

Important notice

Due to planned relocation of the Special Collections, visitors are not able to be permitted during 2024. If you have any questions regarding the collection during this period, please contact us via email.

To view digitised material from the collections, please see CloK.

If you would like to view materials from any of the Special Collections, or you would like to discuss how these resources can be used to help in your teaching and learning, please complete the Special Collections enquiry/appointment form.

Any items which have been digitised are available through the University Repository.

Our collection is also listed on JSTOR.

Our other collections

This small collection of items relates to the Shepherd Street Mission established in Preston by the Band of Hope in 1876. The mission worked with homeless children and adults in the local area, with one of its original aims being to assist children to emigrate. This collection comprises mostly committee minutes and newspaper reports on the Mission’s work but does include rules for running the children’s homes and a very small collection of images.

The Illustrated books collection contains items from the 18th Century up to present day, all chosen for the quality of their illustrations. The items represent a wide variety of techniques and stypes from woodcut prints, lithography and photography. Notable illustrators include George Cruikshank, Arthur Rackham, Gustave Dore and Salvador Dali and more contemporary artists including Quentin Blake and Judith Kerr.

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From 'Poems by Thomas Hood'.

The overall aim of the Special Collections is to offer access to materials of intrinsic value to research and learning and teaching at the University of Central Lancashire, where the general collection management and access policies would compromise either the materials or access to them.

The Special Collections focus on four main areas:

The University of Central Lancashire institutional archive and materials relating to the Universities founding institutions.
The Temperance Collection, the core of which is formed by the Livesey Collection, the archive of the British National Temperance League.
Illustration, art and design, materials that support the visual arts courses especially in relation to textiles and other traditional local industries.
The Local Collection, materials relating to the history and culture of Lancashire, focussing on the locale of Preston.

These themes form the basis of any collection development and donations will be accepted on the premise that they strengthen the collections' focus in these areas.

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Special Collections

Important notice

Our other collections

From our special collections01 / 05

Special Collections

The Livesey Collection

Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory

The Woodruff Collection

The Wainwright Collection

Important notice

Our other collections

Shepherd Street Mission

Design Collection

Illustrated Books

From our special collections01 / 05

Special Collections enquiries

Special Collections policy