The archives and historic collections of Sherborne School preserve and make available for research material relating to the history of Sherborne School. The collections cover all aspects of School life and include:
- The Sherborne Register 1550-1950 (published list of former pupils and staff).
- The Shirburnian (school magazine) from 1859 to date.
- Books about Sherborne School
- Former Headmasters and School Staff and Former School Governors
- Former Pupils, including David Cornwell (John le Carré), Cecil Day-Lewis, J.M. Neale, the Powys family, Alan Turing, Alec Waugh and The Loom of Youth, and Alfred North Whitehead.
- School Boarding Houses and School Buildings
- Photographs of the Whole School, House groups, Sports teams, events, and Royal visits.
- Sports & Games, including Sports team photographs, Shirburnians who have represented their country, Shirburnians & the Olympic Games, and Playing Fields & Pavilions
- School traditions, including The Carmen (School song) and the Songs of Sherborne School, The Sherborne Penny, the School Crest and the School Motto, the School Hymn Book, Commemoration Day (Commem), the Festival of Five Lessons and Carols, Schools Class Locomotive ‘Sherborne’, the School ravens, and Shirburnian speak
- School Rules
- Curriculum
- Blue books (termly lists) 1892 to date.
- Exam Papers
- School prizes
- Shirburnian Record Breakers, Fellows of the Royal Society and Desert Island Discs castaways
- Royal visits and celebrations
- School Roll of Honour and Books of Remembrance: 1914-1918, 1939-1945, 1919-1939, 1946 to date, and Victoria Cross Recipients
- Material relating to the South African Anglo-Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War, the 1982 Falklands Conflict, and the 1991 Gulf War
- Films made at Sherborne School
- Artwork and object collections
- School uniform and sporting colours.
- Sherborne as a Film Location: The Guinea Pig (1948), Goodbye, Mr Chips (1969), A Murder of Quality (1991), The Browning Version (1994), The Imitation Game (2014), Wolf Hall (2015), Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).
- Cups, trophies and medals.
- Archiving the COVID-19 pandemic at Sherborne School
- Local events, including the English Civil War (1642-1651), 1850 Board of Health Report on Sherborne, Charles Dickens’ visit to Sherborne in 1854, the 1905 Sherborne Pageant, Sherborne and the fight for Women’s Suffrage, the Pack Monday Fair, the bombing of Sherborne, 30 September 1940, the architects of Sherborne, and Strong Women of Sherborne
- Books written by or about Old Shirburnians and members of the School staff
- Historic Library & Rare Book Collection
Visit our Online Collections page to find out more.
The collection also includes a reference library of approximately 900 volumes published between the fifteenth and the twentieth century, with at its core the School’s seventeenth-century library. Subject areas covered include Latin, Greek, French and English authors, philosophy, history, travel, topography, ecclesiastical history, bibles, natural science, architecture, and lexicography.
The Dorset History Centre holds on loan some material from the School archives (ref. S-235), including papers relating to the School’s former estates, the School Charter of 1550, and certain administrative and financial papers up to 1950. For further details visit the Dorset History Centre website or contact the Dorset History Centre, Bridport Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1RP, Tel: 01305 250550.
For all enquiries, including appointments and donations please contact the School Archivist, Rachel Hassall MArAd, RMARA.