Collection Highlights

Seven Stories collects original artwork, manuscripts and typescripts by British writers and illustrators for children. We also collect books!

For a taste of the treasures to be discovered in the collection you can browse our favourite things or for a more detailed search visit the online collection catalogues.

Here are some of the collection highlights:

Artwork

The oldest illustrations in the collection are Ruth Gervis's pencil drawings from Ballet Shoes, written by her sister Noel Streatfeild in 1936. The collection also includes original artwork for Tim in Danger and Tim and Charlotte by Edward Ardizzone. The Harold Jones archive includes beautifully detailed 'dummies' (hand-made books) of stories and rhymes.

The Faith Jaques collection includes original illustrations, correspondence and her working library. Pat Hutchins has given artwork for her picture books Tidy Titch and 1 Hunter. A recent arrival is Nick Sharratt's rough sketches and finished artwork for Starring Tracy Beaker and Best Friends, by Jacqueline Wilson.

Manuscripts and archives

One of our earliest acquisitions was Kaye Webb's archive and book collection. Webb was the editor of Puffin Books and founder of the Puffin Club. Philip Pullman is a great supporter of Seven Stories and has given work from the His Dark Materials trilogy and the Sally Lockhart quartet. There are also manuscripts and artwork by the Tyneside writer Robert Westall, after whom one of our galleries is named.

We hold large collections of work by Peter Dickinson, Jan Mark and Berlie Doherty. One of our most recent arrivals is the manuscript for Geraldine McCaughrean's The Kite Rider.

The collection is constantly growing. To receive a full list of our highlights please email collections@sevenstories.org.uk or phone 0191 276 4289.