The Archives contain the foundation documents, the diaries, statutes, inventories and letters of the 1840s and 1850s, which were the day-to-day working matter of the school. They were assembled by A.K.Boyd during the 1930s and 1940s for his history of Radley for its first 100 years: Radley College, 1847-1947. Blackwell, 1947, and the subsequent 150th anniversary history by Christopher Hibbert. His successor as Archivist, Tony Money, built on those foundations and created an unparalleled collection of material relating to the extra-curricular life of the school relating to drama, music, the societies and the Socials and in particular to sport, which resulted in his own books Manly and muscular diversions: public schools and the nineteenth century sporting revival. Duckworth, 1997, and Football at Radley, The College, 2002. The Archive Centre was named in his honour in 2007.
There is an active publications programme both online and in hard-copy. The story of Radley College can be followed at 100 Radley objects: Radley’s living book.
The Archive actively collects material to enhance the collections and to fill in gaps. A list of recent acquisitions and articles can be found on the Latest News page.
The digital archive. The full text of The Radleian magazine, the College registers, the earliest histories, the War Memorial databases and many photographs can be accessed at Radley Archives online
Opening hours: By appointment only
All enquiries contact The Archivist.
Many other schools maintain extensive archives. This list, created by Sherborne School, is a very useful guide to additional resources.