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. His successor as Archivist, Clare Sargent, has also published extensively, including the most recent history of Radley College Untold Stories: Radley College across 175 years, published 2022, and Radley Manor and Village: a thousand year story jointly with Radley Village History Club.

There is an active publications programme both online and in hard-copy. The story of Radley College can be followed at Untold Stories: Radley’s living book.

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

Handlist

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.