Did you know that Alnwick Corn Exhange officially opened in May 1862? These two documents from our Alnwick Corn Exchange Archive give details of the charges for use and hire of the new building. [ref: ACE/02/01]

Here's a #ThrowbackThursday look back to more scientists and their labs. This time here 4 labs and their staff from the Medical School in 1968 found in our University Archive. [Ref. NUA/054135, 054175 (x2), 055922]

'All railwaymen to cease work TO-NIGHT. Transport Workers, Printers and Metal Workers to follow' - from no.1 of an official Strike Bulletin, 4th May 1926. This & more in the exhibition, When Britain Stood Still: General Strike at 100 www.ncl.ac.uk/library/spec... #GeneralStrike100

New exhibition open: When Britain Stood Still: The General Strike at 100 Explore how workers, politicians & trade unionists responded to the 1926 General Strike & how opposition was organised against it www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/exhibitions/when-britain-stood-still #GeneralStrike100

For #ThrowbackThursday here's a look back to 1959 and 4 scientists and their lab equipment. Captured by University photographers, we think they were working in Chemistry, but more detail has been lost in the mists of time! Do you recongnise the equipment, or staff? [Ref. NUA/061818]

The ‘Padua to Edinburgh’ exhibition has been extended to Tue 5 May - less than a week to see it. It explores the history of anatomical illustration from Vesalius onwards, showing how art & medicine shaped how we understand the human body. Free, open to all: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/spec...

We’re welcoming #Spring with open arms in this lovely sunshine—taking inspiration from a pressed flower diary entry by Gertrude Bell, capturing a small moment of nature on the page. collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

For today's #ThrowbackThursday here's another look back to the 1960s and the building of the previous Castle Leazes student accommodation. We're not sure modern health and safety rules would approve of some of the 1960s scaffolding techniques if they were used today! [Ref. NUA/51334]

This #WorldEarthDay, we’re looking beyond Earth to appreciate it from a new perspective. The Ship That Sailed to Mars (1923), imagines a journey to another world — reminding us how special our own planet is. Read more: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/201...

Explore Queen Mab like never before... In 1813, Percy Bysshe Shelley's radical early work, Queen Mab, imagined a journey through time and space—challenging power, religion, and inequality. Discover it anew in our online #DigitalShowcase: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/co...

New on CollectionsCaptured: This leaflet advertising a public meeting for, and seeking subscribers to, the newly founded "Newcastle-upon-Tyne East End Economic Building Society", from early 1891. Find it here: cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll... [Broadsides/4/2/151]

Don't miss it! Now is your last chance to see our exhibition 'Padua to Edinburgh: Cultures of Art and Medicine in European Anatomical Drawings'. The free exhibition on L2 of the Philip Robinson Library explores connections between art and anatomy. Find out more here: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/spec...

#DigitalShowcase Ludford Books spotlight 📚 Two rare mid-18th-century children’s books show how reading was once taught in Britain. Created as a learning pair, they feature a woodcut guide with the period’s largest known set of illustrations. digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/co...

April's @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social theme is #EYACrime. These posters seek information relating to the theft of pigeons, hens, coal tar and damage to a farm at North Sheilds. Find more posters from our Broadside Collection on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Here's a throwback 60 years to 1966 and photos of a particular spot on campus, that its safe to say, has changed quite a lot in the intervening time. Can you guess where it is? There are clues! [ref. NUA/041365] #ThrowbackThursday

Ever wondered what Philip Robinson Library roof looks like? Here's a throwback to a 1995 model of the proposed library extension. And a new pic of the roof today, with shiny new solar panels! This new webpage shows in real time how much energy they're creating: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/abou...

Il Decamerone by Giovanni Boccaccio is now live on our #DigitalShowcase. In a Connecting Collections video, Dr Joseph Hone shares his suspicions about the authenticity of the facsimiles in the collection. Explore more online: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/co...

We’re excited to announce a brand new addition to our archives… a fully digitised collection of 18th-century “invisible ink” manuscripts. Unfortunately, they’re currently… invisible. We’ll keep you posted when we find them. #AprilFools

New on Digital Showcase - Dr Joseph Hone explores the works of Alexander Pope in a Connecting Connection video, including books from Pope's personal library, now part of our collections, one of which even includes annotations by Pope himself! Find it here: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/co...

Well, that worked! Thank you to all our new and old followers, we now have over one thousand of you! If you like (or prefer) your social media Instagram flavoured we also have an account there where we post similar content: www.instagram.com/newcastleuni...

We're only a few followers short of 1,000 here on Bluesky, help us cross the line! If you already follow us why not like and repost? If not, give us a follow to keep in touch with what we do. Here's a throwback from our Uni Archive to a warm spring day on campus in April 1991. #ThrowbackThursday

Did early Christian art come from Rome or the East? This book sparked a key debate. For Gertrude Bell, it shaped her Middle East research and redefined art history’s origins. Full digitised item on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Did you know today is the Spring Equinox? These pages from the 'First Book of Astronomy, by Rev. J. L. Blake', part of our Wallis (Peter) Collection, helpfully explain the science! [Ref. Wallis 44 BLA] Find more about our Wallis Collection here: specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk/wallis

As work on building the new Castle Leazes continues here's a #ThrowbackThursday look back to 1965 and an early sketch of what the student accommodation buildings could have looked like. At the same time a futuristic vision of Buildings on Barrass Bridge was also proposed! [ref: NUA/036517]

Can’t make it to campus? Our Virtual Reading Room service makes it easy to access remarkable materials from wherever you are—bringing centuries of knowledge straight to your screen. www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/use/virtual-reading-room-service

#Discover A glimpse of Tyneside dialect from The Howdy (1850), from Robert White Collection: “Ay-hy, ae-hy, kih she, yeh may say what yeh leyke, but Aze suer aws reet”... Explore more of this North East writing on CollectionsCaptured cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

We stumbled across this print taken from an original Joseph Crawhall II woodblock whilst browsing images on CollectionsCaptured. We'd love to be relaxing doing this right now cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

Today is #WorldSleepDay. To mark the occassion here are some photos of bedrooms of Newcastle's student accommodation through the years from our University Archive. On a Friday afternoon at the end of a busy week those beds are looking tempting! [Refs. NUA/043914, 083621, 222534, 234450, 260970]

#ThrowbackThursday Here's a seasonal spring time throwback to 1963 with these photos of lambing time at Nafferton, one of two farms operated by Newcastle University. [Ref: NUA/027554]

For yesterday's #InternationalWomensDay discover the stories of the North’s forgotten female reformers.Our online exhibition reveals women who campaigned for change across the UK, from suffrage to social reform.Explore their stories speccollstories.ncl.ac.uk/The-Norths-Forgotten-Female-Reformers/

#ICYMI Our latest blog explores the events of a 1965 Newcastle University scientific expedition to Afghanistan exploring glaciology and geology uncovered thanks to a recent donation of papers to the University Archive relating to the expedition. Read it here: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

Did you know we have over 16,000 children's books? This World Book Day why not explore them on our catalogue here libsearch.ncl.ac.uk/discovery/se... Anyone is welcome to visit and use our books in research, so why not start planning your next book based research adventure today? #WorldBookDay

Explore archives and rare books at Newcastle University! The Collections Guide puts unique primary sources at your fingertips — from early printed works to personal diaries and maps. Browse, search and request material for your research or projects. 👉 specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk

#Discover In January 1901 students at the Durham College of Science (forerunner to Newcastle University) started a student magazine, containing news and articles relating to student life. Find the first 4 issues from 1901 on CollectionsCaptured: cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

Today a by-election is taking place in Gorton and Denton, but, did you know 200 years ago, in February 1826, there was a by-election in Northumberland, fought by Mathew Bell and Thomas Liddell? These Broadsides from our Bell-White Collection capture the spirit of the keenly fought election.

In 1965 Newcastle University organised a major scientific expedition — first aiming for Pakistan’s glaciers before shifting to Afghanistan due to war. The team’s work sought early evidence of global glacier warming. Read the full story: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

Did you know teaching can happen inside Special Collections? We offer tailored workshops and digital sessions using rare books and archives to develop students’ research skills and critical thinking. Discover how we can support your teaching: ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections

Stuck in the office on this Friday afternoon? Here are some bright spring flowers courtesy of Sowerby's English Botany from our 19th Century Collection to see you towards the weekend and brighter spring days. [Ref. 19thC Coll 581.942 SOW]

#OTD Today marks 100 years since the death of former Professor of Fine Art, Richard George Hatton. Later in 1926, the College Art Committee renamed the gallery in the King Edward VI Building, the Hatton Gallery in his honour. Read more about the gallery's history: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

Step into the extraordinary at Newcastle University Special Collections & Archives ✨ Rare books. Unique archives. Hidden histories. Explore in person, book a Virtual Reading Room, or dive into our digitised treasures online. Uncover something remarkable: ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/

Who else will be watching the Winter Olympics this weekend? In 1964 this group of students were inspired to practice their skiing in the unusual surroundings of the University Sports Hall (formerly the Assembly Rooms, now Culture Lab). [NUA/032052/13]

100 years ago, in early 1916, the Military Service Act was passed by Parliament, introducing conscription into the Army. This pamphlet, published by the National Labour Press gave details of the act and its interpretation. See it on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

#Discover This hand-drawn medal design from the Henry Layard Archive is presumed to represent either Enid Layard’s award as a Lady of Mercy—suggested by the Sultan’s cypher—or a proposed honour for Sir Austen Henry Layard cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

Flashback to 1921: Long before #SuperBowl fame, legends were made on muddy pitches at Armstrong College and Durham University Rugby Football Clubs — where grit, teamwork and that winning spirit began #RugbyRoots #football collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

For #ThrowbackThursday here are two 1980s views of our campus from the nearby civic centre. With the currernt gloomy weather here in Newcastle we're quite looking forward to the days when the trees look as green as they do here. [Ref. NUA/176999/5 and 8].

We’ve just received “Trial, Sentence & Execution of William Jobling” (1832) following #conservation work. This broadside recounts Jobling’s conviction for the murder of Nicholas Fairles, his execution at Durham Assizes, and the grim post-mortem punishment of gibbeting — one of the last in England.

Leviathan is back with us after specialist conservation! The iconic 1651 edition — with its composite sovereign, sword & crozier — has been carefully stabilised so it can be safely studied & displayed for years to come. #Conservation

Have you visited our new exhibition yet? Curated by Robinson Bequest student Hannah Reynolds, From Padua to Edinburgh explores the intersection of art and medicine in European anatomical drawings. The exhibition is free to visit and now open on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library.

Last week a plaque was unveiled at Pendower Estate in honour of architect Robert Burns Dick, designer of many Tyneside buildings, including the Uni's Students Union. We also hold a small collection of papers of his life and work. Read about the unveiling here: new.newcastle.gov.uk/news/2026/tr...

📢 Our new research pages are live! Students can find tools on using Special Collections for essays & dissertations, while academics can explore support for collections-based teaching and research. Discover what’s available www.ncl.ac.uk/library/spec...