The business files contain Theatre Projects Consultants Ltd's correspondence with the client (the National Theatre, the South Bank Theatre Board), other consultants, contractors, manufacturers and suppliers, including letters, memorandums, postcards, telexes, telegrams, invitations, compliment slips and phone messages, along with related enclosures, which take many forms, including sketches and drawings, reports, proposals, analyses, graphs, charts, schedules, programmes of work, notes and minutes of meetings, specifications, schedules, estimates, quotations tendering and contract documents, invoices, brochures and marketing information, samples of materials, forms, drawing issue sheets, architect's instructions, certificates, press clippings. They also contain items placed there by Theatre Projects consultants staff for their own information, including rough notes, calculations and sketches, budgeting and financial documents, drafts, notes on meetings, press releases, articles, file notes and lists.
Theatre Projects Consultants used a preplanned filing system / archive to organise their business files. Each job was designated with a job number. Files relating to a job number might then be further subdivided into numbers representing particular types of correspondents or subject areas, and then if necessary subdivided again into letters representing very specific topic areas. Later contracts were often second attempts at the installation covered in the main contract. The preplanned structure was as follows:
Job number 904 - the main Theatre Projects Consultants Ltd stage machinery contract:
1A, B, C - client, legal and financial, and progress
2A, B - architect and quantity surveyor
3'A,B&C', D - consultants
4A, B (empty) - planning
5A, 5B (5B1-5B16) - stage enginnering machinery
6A, 6A1, 6B - communications, sound and telephone
7A, B, C, D, E - production lighting, electrical installation, remote control lanterns, slide projection, luminaires
8A, B, D - main contractor, direct contracts, commissioning
9A - panels
Job number 926 - Lighting for foyers and auditoria contract
Job number 9122 (1A, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A) - the Cottesloe contract
Job number 9144 - masking screens contract
Job number 9233 - Lyttelton rear stage wagon contract
Job number 9277 - Lyttelton power flying
Many of the files and individual records were marked with a corresponding number. However, in practice, this system was not rigidly adhered to. On one hand, there are a number of files which have no reference number although they appear to relate to one of its designations. On the other hand, records were created or needs arose which did not easily fit into any of the designations, and in this case files appear to have been created in an ad hoc manner outside of the official structure.
Many items are undated.