National Resource Centre for Historical Dance (NRCHD)
The NRCHD, or Resource Centre, is housed at Kellogg College, Oxford, at 60-62 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PN. More than 1,000 books are shelved and available to readers, on application. The catalogue has been integrated into the University of Oxford’s cataloguing system, SOLO.
A guide to searching SOLO for books in the collection is available here.
If you would like to visit the NRCHD in person, email library@kellogg.ox.ac.uk to arrange an appointment or to request assistance. Appointments are available Monday-Friday during college opening hours (8.30am-6.30pm). The Early Dance Circle look forward to a fruitful partnership with Kellogg College.
The Early Dance Circle’s intention is that this should become the most comprehensive accessible working library in the country for historical dance. An annual sum is set aside to keep the holdings up to date with modern scholarship. Obviously, the NRCHD can never have the range of rare publications to be found in the British Library and equivalent national libraries abroad, but it already has a good selection of books, not only about dance, but also music, social history and manners, and dress (including costume-making). A large part of this final section is made up of the Elizabeth Wilson Collection. We have hopes to expand further.
Donations Welcome
The Early Dance Circle is proud to say that the collection at the National Resource Centre has been built up mainly by gift and bequest, through the goodwill of members and scholars. It invites the early dance community to continue to support the Centre through donation and it is happy to receive any such gifts. For further information about the NRCHD, or to donate materials to the Centre, please contact secretary@earlydancecircle.co.uk.
The Background
In 1999, the EDC announced the foundation of a National Centre for Historical Dance to support the study, re-creation and enjoyment of European dancing as represented in manuscripts and printed books since medieval times. The Circle appointed David Wilson as the first Honorary Director.
Our donors include David Wilson, Elizabeth Wilson, Peggy Dixon, Anne Cottis (courtesy of Anne Daye), Judy Smith, Velma Pursehouse and others. They leave a valuable legacy to succeeding generations.