The collection's content predominately dates from 1930s - 1960s. It comprises of ballet scrapbooks (1930s - c. 1956), concentrating on the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company (1935 - c. 1954) and within especially ballet dancer Margot Fonteyn (c. 1949 - c. 1956). It includes material related to The Red Shoes film production (1948) and photograph albums and prints of ballet performances and dancers (1930s - 1960s). Further the collection consist of numerous performance programmes (1929 - 1991), predominantly ballet and within especially of the Sadler's Wells Ballet Company. The programmes also cover opera, music and theatre, including musicals.
Monica Collingwood Collection
This material is held atUniversity of Roehampton Foyle Special Collections and Archives
- Reference
- GB 3325 MC
- Dates of Creation
- 1929-1990
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- The majority of the collection is in English
- Physical Description
- c3 linear metres (10 boxes)
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
(Kathleen) Monica Collingwood (1913 - 2003) was born in Burma, the eldest of the four children of Stanley Collingwood, a sales representative for Nestland then Pascall's, and his wife, Muriel, ne Smalley. By 1916 the family had returned to England and settled in Upper Norwood, South London; in 1933 they moved to Coulsdon, Surrey where Monica continued to live in the same family house in Coulsdon until her death in 2002.
During the Second World War, she worked as a driver for the Ministry of Defence. Thereafter she became a carer for various members of her family, including, latterly, her parents.
Monica was an avid ballet lover from the age of 7 and frequently attended performances until the late 1970s. She was a keen follower of the lives of many ballet dancers, especially those of the Sadler's Wells Company and Margot Fonteyn in particular. Over the years Monica Collingwood collected many press cuttings and photographs which she compiled in scrapbooks and album, some of which she gave away to members of the wider family. In addition, from approximately the 1950s onwards she built up her own considerable ballet library consisting of books and journals predominantly.
Arrangement
The material has been arranged thematically into three series: Scrapbooks; Photograph albums and prints; Programmes and playbills. There was no apparent original, nor any other logical arrangement on arrival.
Access Information
This collection is open to the public by appointment.
Appointments can be made by contacting the archivist by email: archives@roehampton.ac.uk
Alternatively, you may use one of the methods below:
Telephone: 020 8392 3323
Postal address: University of Roehampton, Library, Foyle Special Collections and Archives, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5SZ.
The Foyle Special Collections and Archives are located on the second floor of the University Library
Acquisition Information
Transferred by the Roehampton University Dance Department (via Larraine Nichols, Senior Lecturer on 16 November 2009).
Other Finding Aids
A full catalogue of the archival material in the collection can be searched using Archive Catalogue https://calmview.roehampton.ac.uk/
Further information can be found here: https://library.roehampton.ac.uk/archives
Archivist's Note
Description created in January 2013.
Conditions Governing Use
Standard copyright regulations apply to the programmes and photographs as well as to the intellectual content of the scrapbooks. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult archive staff.
Appraisal Information
The collection originally additionally consisted of books and journals which were considered to replicate the holdings of the Dance Department and the University Library and were therefore not accepted. All other records have been retained since the acceptance of donation in 2003.
Custodial History
The collection was transferred to the Archives & Special Collections from the Roehampton University Dance Department in November 2009. In 2003 the Dance Department was contacted by the donor’s nephew about the collection of a lifetime of theatre attendance of his recently deceased aunt where it was donated to shortly after.
In September 2008 Larraine Nicholas, a Senior Lecturer of the Dance Department contacted the Archives & Special Collections about a transfer of the collection from the Dance Department to the Archives and Special Collections. The records were moved on 16 November 2009.
Accruals
Further accruals may be donated from other members of Monica Collingwood's family in future.