Archives & Special Collections (A&SC) is a key resource in the scholarship activities of the University with an essential role in supporting the research and teaching activities of both Hope staff and students, and external researchers, in line with the University’s strategic and academic goals.

Some donated special collection material has been integrated into the main collection where it is felt they complement and enhance the existing collection and will be best exploited by users e.g. Liverpool Excellence Collection and Merseyside CND Collection. These collections are governed by the Library’s Collection Management Policy and managed by the Subject Librarians.

Catalogued collections are available to search on the library catalogue, OneSearch. To limit your search to a particular collection, e.g. Andrew F. Walls Centre, select the name of the collection from the drop-down menu under 'Location' using the advanced search tool. Go to Information and Guides for help navigating your way around OneSearch.

For those collections, that are not yet catalogued, there are finding aids in the form of printed catalogues and classification schemes available to download or to consult in the Reading Room. Unfortunately, due to limited staffing, we can only spend a short period of time on individual enquiries and are unable to offer a paid research service. If you would like to make an appointment please refer to Access the Collections for further information and for general enquiries email specialcollections@hope.ac.uk.

Collection strengths

Collection strengths include:

• Archbishop Stuart Blanch – sermons, lecture, broadcasts (archive)
• Christopher Wordsworth family collection
• Early bible translations and commentaries
• History of education
• History of mission and missionary activity
• History of religions
• John Henry Newman (printed works, pamphlets and archival papers on microfilm)
• Liturgy – during the Reformation
• Liverpool Hope University archive (Founding Colleges’ history; Liverpool Institute of Higher Education; Liverpool Hope University College)
• Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts
• Methodism
• Mission studies
• Mission theology
• Non-Western Christian art
• Nugent – Father Nugent and Father Bennett correspondence (archive)
• Philosophy of education
• Recusant history (particularly in the NW)
• Roman Catholic studies
• St. Thomas Aquinas (printed)
• Vatican II (printed and archive)
• Wesleyan Missionary Society

Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African & Asian Christianity (AWC)

The Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity (AWC) was officially opened in May 2008 and, primarily, comprises materials donated by Prof Andrew Walls himself, the University of Edinburgh (Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World), and the University of Aberdeen. The collection offers resources across a range of mission studies, its principal focus being Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Missions from the West have had a part in the African and Asian Christian story, and this collection has substantial holdings on the history of mission and missionary activity in other parts of the world, as well as on mission theology and practice, other faiths, and the history of religions. The collection also includes many volumes on the historical, political, economic, social and religious background and context of African and Asian Christianity.

The collection contains an eclectic range of materials including books, journals, reports and newsletters and other ephemera from many different organisations and churches around the world. Several individuals have also donated materials to the Centre including; Rev. George Hood’s collection of materials which he acquired during his time as a missionary in China; South African materials donated by the Brothers Hofmeyr, Prof. J.W. (Hoffie) Hoymeyr and Mr. G.S. (George) Hofmeyr; Indian Christianity material from Canon Daniel O’Connor, and books from Mrs M.E. Cecilia Irvine and Mr. R. Ross Noble. Most recently we have received generous donations from the Methodist Church House, London and the Wesley Historical Society Library in Oxford, as yet to be catalogued. We welcome donations on World Christianity and Missions History, for further information please read our guide to donations.

To find out more about the research activities and events of the Andrew F. Walls Centre please follow the link to Liverpool Hope’s Research Centres.

J.F. Butler Collection (AWC)

The Butler Collection was donated by the University of Edinburgh to sit alongside the Andrew Walls Centre material. The collection focuses on Non-Western Christian Art and contains a range of formats including some Indian theological journals, and artefacts.

Biblioteca Diocesana of Modena-Nonantola Diocese

A reciprocal arrangement between Liverpool Hope University and Biblioteca Diocesana of Modena-Nonantola Diocese, allows Hope staff and students access to their catalogues to support their studies and research.

• Library catalogue - contains the catalogues of 100 ecclesiastic libraries of which Modena-Nonantola hold copies PBE03 and PBE09
• Serial Catalogue - this also covers multiple libraries catalogues with MO033 held at Modena-Nonantola

The online catalogues currently cover 30% of all documents. The library staff at Modena-Nonantola can undertake a search of the complete paper catalogue (especially ancient documents and manuscripts) and, if required, are able to check if specific documents are available and provide a digital version, if within Italian copyright legislation. Anyone interested in these arrangements should email Susan Murray, Director of Library and Learning Spaces.

Cornwell Collection

Liverpool Hope Library is privileged to house the Anthony Cornwell collection of books, previously held in the Talbot Library in Preston where Cornwell spent many hours cataloguing the stock. The collection covers subjects such as theology, history, literature, art and some music books and is fully catalogued. The books are located in the foyer of The Sheppard-Worlock Library.

Education Research Collection (Ed Stack)

This research collection of books, pamphlets and journals on education and related subjects was donated by the University of Liverpool. These materials are housed in the Ed Stack adjacent to the Education collection in the main library. The collection contains:

• 30,000 books and pamphlets covering all aspects of education, particularly from an historic viewpoint and with large sections on special education and religious education
• Bibliographies, Government publications and other statistical publications, and annual reports of organisations connected with education
• 400 journals with strengths in learning difficulties and special education, educational psychology, and education overseas.

Gradwell Collection

The Gradwell Collection, entrusted to Liverpool Hope on the closure of St. Joseph's College at Upholland, contains material covering the following subjects: theology, philosophy, church, secular and local history, ecclesiastical history, art, architecture, sociology, education and works of general reference. Donations and subscriptions aside, the book collection has not been added to since 1975 when the College ceased to operate as a seminary, however, the journal and periodical collection which is mainly theological, has been kept up-to-date and can be found with the main collection of journals in The Sheppard-Worlock Library. The Gradwell is particularly strong in Catholic studies with standard works of Catholic reference including the complete series of Concilium Tridentinum, Acta et Documenta Oecumenico Vaticano II Apparando, Acta Synodalia and a substantial number of volumes from the Corpus Christianorum series.

The Gradwell contains primary recusant material from the 17th and 18th centuries; this includes devotional works, sermons, tracts, pamphlets, biblical studies and more. There is a rich seam here of high-quality research material for those working in this generally under-researched area. Finally, there is material which, while perhaps not being of obvious research significance, simply needs preserving. For example, there are materials from the 16th century in this class such as editions of the Fathers in Greek and Latin.

The Gradwell is only part catalogued and it is advisable to book an appointment to discover the full extent of the resources available. The Gradwell Classification scheme is available to download from our Finding Aids webpage which highlights the subject coverage of the collection.

Loughlin Collection (Talbot Library)

The Loughlin Collection is a small collection of books belonging to the Talbot Library containing books by and about G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc.  

Millennialism Studies Centre

The Centre for Millennialism Studies focusses on the study of contemporary manifestations of millennialism and apocalypticism; particularly the ‘afterlife' of apocalyptic texts and ideas within popular culture. The collection consists of books, DVDs, games, graphic novels, comics, pamphlets and newspapers and is located in the Group Study area of The Sheppard-Worlock Library. This collection is fully catalogued.

John Henry Newman Collection

Saint John Henry Newman was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1991, Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, and Canonised by Pope Francis on 13 October 2019, Britain’s first new saint since St. John Ogilvie was Canonised in 1976. John Henry Newman stands as a Victorian giant in the field of theology, philosophy and education. Influencing many academic and spiritual disciplines, Cardinal Newman’s writings and his lifelong search for religious truth continue to inspire scholars throughout the world. Liverpool Hope University aims to enhance and extend the reach of Cardinal Newman’s life and spirituality.

The John Henry Newman Collection is the result of the amalgamation of Newman’s own published works (including first editions), books on or related to Newman, and ephemeral material brought together from deposited collections and donations, including the Talbot Library, the Gradwell and the Radcliffe Collections. This scholarly resource is complemented by the availability of an updated extensive collection of Newman related publications from our main Sheppard-Worlock Library collection. The collection also includes, preserved on microfilm, the diaries, letters and miscellaneous documents from the Cardinal Newman Archive held at the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, in Birmingham. Contents of this archive can be found on the John Henry Newman Personal Papers. The John Henry Newman Collection is fully catalogued.

Picton Library

The Picton Library is a collection of theology books on deposit from the Liverpool City Library Collection. This collection contains many of the classic New Testament works published before 1975, some old but extremely useful linguistic studies including older Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek lexicons, and several sets of theological texts. The collection not only enhances but also complements The Sheppard-Worlock's own collection of theology holdings, both lending and reference.

Radcliffe Collection

Named after its chief donor, Sir Frederick Radcliffe (1861-1952), the Radcliffe Collection is the Anglican library of Liverpool Cathedral and St Aidan’s Theological College. The focus of the collection was primarily to be a ‘liturgical library’. Radcliffe aimed to buy exemplars of every book printed for liturgical use in England during the Tudor and Stuart reigns, both Roman Catholic and Anglican, to be brought together alongside medieval manuscripts to document and observe the liturgical transition during this period. Indeed, the collection houses Missals dating from the pre-Reformation era, some 15th century European manuscript books of hours, 16th and 17th century bibles and early commentaries, hymn books and ecclesiastical music, and a large number of early printed books chiefly of liturgical and scholastic interest.

The collection also includes the library of St. Aidans Theological College, Birkenhead, donated after its closure in 1969. The manuscripts and early printed books (books printed before 1801) were deposited at The Sheppard-Worlock Library in 2012. The Radcliffe Collection catalogue lists the holdings of early printed books, including 26 incunabula (books printed before 1501), and manuscripts. The remainder of the Radcliffe collection (printed after 1801), contains liturgical and antiquarian books and books of general theological interest and is fully catalogued.

Sisters of Notre Dame Collection

The Sheppard-Worlock Library holds a unique collection of books donated by Sister Mary Charles-Murray and Sister Maura O'Carroll from the British Province of the Sisters of Notre Dame. Sister Mary Charles-Murray, Trustee and Member of the Governing Council, is a noted Patristics Oxford scholar and her research interests are reflected in her outstanding private collection which focuses on the Church Fathers, both Latin and Greek, and early Christian Art. The late Sister Maura O'Carroll, awarded Doctor of Education (honoris causa) in July 2017 in recognition of her outstanding service towards the foundation of the University, sadly died in December 2019. Her collection is centred on medieval Church history, particularly the Preaching revival of the 12th-13th Centuries. To support this study, works of the Church Fathers mostly in translation were collected as well as a number of catalogues of medieval manuscripts with an emphasis on the Dominicans. The two collections complement each other very well and are fully catalogued.

Talbot Library

The Talbot Collection was transferred to the Sheppard-Worlock Library in 2013, following the closure of the Talbot Library in Preston. A special celebration was held to commemorate the official transfer and the Bishop of Lancaster the Rt Rev Michael Campbell OSA unveiled a plaque to recognise the permanent loan of the collection for the benefit of religious studies scholars at Liverpool Hope University and throughout the North West.

The Talbot Library was named after William Talbot, a wealthy Lancashire cotton manufacturer, who in 1849 provided the money with which the Jesuits built the first Catholic school and chapel in the Maudland area of Preston. In 1988, the school was closed and Bishop John Brewer, then Bishop of Lancaster, established a Catholic library in the former school premises. Donations of books and journals came in from presbyteries and convents in the diocese, and the library was officially opened in 1992. With the help of many significant donations, the Library grew in size to approximately 50,000 books, and became a major reference library of Catholic history, theology, and spirituality. There is a sizeable collection of Irish studies material, missals and other liturgical texts, seminarial works, and books on politics, history, English literature, art and architecture. The collection also includes a substantial number of early printed books (pre-1801), housed in the Special Collections vault.

The collection remains uncatalogued but is available to browse and the original card catalogue is accessible for consultation. The Talbot Library Classification and the Talbot Library Irish Studies Collection, finding aids are also available to download.

Wordsworths' Library (Radcliffe Collection)

The Radcliffe Collection is home to a significant number of holdings from the library of Christopher Wordsworth (1848-1938); great-grandson of Christopher Wordsworth (1774-1846), Master of Trinity College Cambridge, great-nephew of the poet William Wordsworth, nephew of Charles Wordsworth (1806-1892), Bishop of St. Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane, son of Christopher (1807-1885), Bishop of Lincoln, and brother to John (1843-1911), Bishop of Salisbury and Dame Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840-1932), the founding Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, a college for female undergraduates.

Christopher Wordsworth served as chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral and later was a canon of Salisbury Cathedral, where he held a number of posts including that of librarian and chancellor. Wordsworth’s library collection reflects his academic interest in historical and liturgical research as well as containing books and manuscripts that belonged to or were written by his brother, father, uncle and grandfather. This collection is now fully catalogued.

The University has a collection of recordings from distinguished talks including inaugural lectures.  Older recordings are available on CD for consultation within The Sheppard-Worlock Library. Please bring a set of headphones with you to listen to the recording as unfortunately we are unable to provide them.  More recent recordings are available from the University's YouTube account using the links provided.

Inaugural lectures available on YouTube

Prof Michael Brennan, From death denial to death doulas: Is death having a moment? (1 June 2022)

Prof Franco Rizzuto, The political limits to constitutional compliance in the European Union: The case of Poland (18 May 2022)

Prof Stephen Kelly, A shared history: A personal reflection on the Northern Ireland conflict and the search for truth and reconciliation (27 Apr 2022)

Prof Caroline Wakefiled, ‘Possunt quia posse videntur: the role of motor imagery in enhancing performance’ (16 Mar 2022)

Prof Guy Cuthbertson, A return to nature: The pursuit of the 'simple life' from Edward Thomas to the present day (3 Mar 2022)

Prof Steven Shakespeare, Romancing nature? Philosophy of religion in an age of ecological crisis (23 Feb 2022)

Prof Peter McGrail, Living under the shadow of 'a lonely and sacramentally-starved old age'? Liturgical realities and opportunities in the Archdiocese of Liverpool (17 Nov 2021)

Prof Stephen Davismoon, In Search of Musical and Sonic Authenticity (13 Nov 2019)

Prof David Bolt, From Avoidance to Appreciation: The Cultural and Social Values of Disability Studies and Interdisciplinarity (16 Oct 2019)

Prof Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Modern Day Football Social Schemes: Sport at the Service of Humanity or Superficial Social Alibi? (11 Apr 2018)

Prof Ian Vandewalle, Corporate Social Responsibility for good … or profit? (31 May 2017)

James Timpson, Inaugural Burrows / Kennedy Distinguished Lecture (21 Nov 2016)

Dr David Fleming, Museums change lives (9 Mar 2016)

Prof David Chester, "What happened then matters now": Reconstructing the impact of historic volcanic eruptions and earthquakes (9 Feb 2016)

Prof Christopher Williams, The forgotten victims in Stalin's purges, 1930-38 (4 Mar 2015)

Prof Peter Siska, De Paradoxo Cosmologico Geocentrico (17 Feb 2015)

Prof Michael Mulqueen, Security, intelligence and big data (2 Apr 2014)

Prof Michael Apple, The task of the critical scholar, activist in Education (19 Feb 2014)

Prof Roger Phillips, The BBC: the good, the bad and the ugly (5 Feb 2014)

Prof George Mair, "It's going to be a difficult trip, I think" (17 Apr 2013)

Prof Michael Lavalette, The hidden history of 'popular' social work (13 Mar 2013)

Prof Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Where do ideas come from? (9 May 2012)

Prof Ebrahim Naderali, Obmentia: a cause for concern? (25 Apr 2012)

Dom Henry Wansbrough, Was Jesus a Pharisee? (7 Mar 2012)

Prof Bernard Jackson, Tales of two Prodigals: Jewish Christian Relations in the 1st and 20th Centuries (28 Apr 2010)

Prof Bill Jones, Climbing the Greasy Pole: Ministerial Promotion in UK Politics (10 Feb 2010)

Rev Dr Daniel Jeyaraj, Christian Mission as “service to the soul” and “service to the body”: When will the West learn from Non-Western Christian Experiences? (11 Mar 2009)

Prof Simon Piasecki, The wealth of moral sentiments: altruism, peril and performance

Dr Marilynne Robinson, (Augural Hopkins Lecture, 2015) What are we doing here? A response to Alexis de Tocqueville

Distinguished lectures available on YouTube

His Eminence Cardinal Michael Louis Fitzgerald, 'Human Fraternity': A proposal and a project for relations between Christians and Muslims (17 Feb 2022)

Steve Munby CBE, 'Imperfect Leadership' (30 Jan 2020)

Rt Rev Thomas A Williams (Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool), "Christian Faith in the City over 175 years. Is it 'Better Together' or getting worse?" (13 Nov 2019)

Prof Imogen Tyler (Lancaster University), Social Divisions and social change in the Neoliberal age (School of Social Sciences Series 2018-19)

Prof Simon Winlow, Why the Left must change, (16 Jan 2019)

Prof David Whyte, Catalonia, postfascism and popular sovereignty (28 Nov 2018)

Prof Peter Dwyer, A social insecurity? Citizenship, conditionality and discretion in the 21st century UK welfare state (18 Oct 2018)

Prof Ian Gough (LSE), The environment and social policy: Heat, greed, and human need (18 April 2018)

Dr Kevin Farnsworth (University of York), Taking back control in order to hand it back to big business: corporations in Brexit Britain (21 March 2018)

Dr Alex Scott-Samuel (Chair of the Socialist Health Association, University of Chester), Back to the future? Prospects for Labour policy on a renationalised NHS (16 Nov 2017)

Prof Kate Pickett (Professor of Epidemiology, University of York), Inequality and the quality of society (26 Oct 2017)

Department of Social Work, Care and Justice Distinguished Lecture Series 2016-2017:

Social work by and for all

From Seebohm Factory to Neoliberal Production Line? The Changing Social Work Labour Process

Refugees and social work: Sharing experiences from Samos Island, Greece

Prof Jan Hornsey, The changing face of parent advocacy

Prof Iain Ferguson, Mental health social work: the dog that hasn't barked?

Sir Mark Hedley Distinguished Law Lecture Series:

The sentence of the court: What is society's purpose? (8 Dec 2015)

Welfare and best interests: Public, personal or judicial values? (24 Nov 2015)

The state and private life: Should the state intervene to protect (10 Nov 2015) 

What is truth? The relationship between truth, proof and justice? (27 Oct 2015) 

The Modern Judge: Power, responsibility and society's expectations (13 Oct 2015)

Lord Charles Guthrie of Craigiebank (Chancellor), Distinguished Lecture (22 Jan 2014)

Inaugural lectures and distinguished talks available on CD

Rev Dr Richard Finn OP (Regent of Blackfriars, Oxford), The Gradwell Lecture - Alms-giving and asceticism in the early church: lessons for today? (8 May 2008)

Prof Andrew F. Walls, International Conference on Asian and African Christianity – Two-day Colloquium (23rd & 24th May 2008)

Rev Dr Daniel Jeyaraj (Inaugural), Christian Mission as “service to the soul” and “service to the body”: When will the West learn from Non-Western Christian Experiences? (11 Mar 2009)

Rev Dr Christopher Wright, Andrew Walls Lecture – Prophet to the Nations: Missional Reflection on the Book of Jeremiah (18 Mar 2009)

Prof Nicholas Rees (Inaugural), Globalisation, International Security and the Role of International Organisations in Conflict Resolution (8 Apr 2009)

Prof Frank Wood (Inaugural), Where are they going, these children of Cain? (17 Jun 2009)

Prof Bill Jones (Inaugural), Climbing the Greasy Pole: Ministerial Promotion in UK Politics (10 Feb 2010)

Prof Bernard Jackson (Inaugural), Tales of two Prodigals: Jewish Christian Relations in the 1st and 20th Centuries (28 Apr 2010)

Cardinal Walter Kaspar, Jews and Christians: Overcoming the Past to Construct a Shared Future of Peace (24 May 2010)

Prof Roger Brown, A Moment in History: Higher Education Policy including the Browne Report (21 Oct 2010)

The Andrew Walls Centre, The Francke Foundations - Pietism: Halle, Great Britain and the World (26 Nov 2010)

Prof Andrew F. Walls, Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of Asian and African Christianity – The Earliest British Overseas Missions (21 Feb 2011)

Prof Andrew F. Walls, Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of Asian and African Christianity – Early Sierra Leone Methodism: English, American or African (22 Feb 2011)

Prof David Bolt (Inaugural), From Avoidance to Appreciation: The Cultural and Social Values of Disability Studies and Interdisciplinarity (16 Oct 2019) - [printed copy only]