Sadler's Wells Theatre records purchased and collected by Finsbury Libraries

Material found within this section mainly relates to the history of Sadler's Wells up until the 1920s, this includes papers documenting the life of the theatre; production scripts, many of which are handwritten and annotated; press cuttings, posters, playbills, handbills and programmes which were used to publicise events at the theatre; song and music sheets; illustrations and photographs of the different buildings which have occupied the Sadler's Wells site; illustrations of performers and productions which have appeared at Sadler's Wells, and biographical material relating to people connected with the theatre. Some of the biographical material relates to artists who had close links with Sadler's Wells following the re-opening of the theatre in 1931.

The material in this section was deposited at Finsbury Library by a number of individuals. Finsbury Libraries purchased a vast quantity of material in 1922, including the production scripts, playbills and illustrations. Staff at Finsbury Library continued to add material to the collection, such as press cuttings relating to Sadler's Wells for example, and applied library reference numbers to some items. Members of the public on learning of the collection also donated items relating to Sadler's Wells to the archive. The collection was later transferred to Islington Local History Centre, who continued to add to it.