Accessibility statement

Exhibitions

Visit the exhibition area at the Borthwick Institute for Archives to see highlights from our archives and current projects. We also hold exhibitions at other locations, such as the York Mansion House, and online-only exhibitions.

The exhibition area is open the same hours as the Raymond Burton Library, and can be found on the third floor.

Find out more about our current and past exhibitions below, and follow us on Twitter and keep an eye on our news page for details of upcoming exhibitions.

The Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York Archive

Location: Online

Find out more about our recently-launched archives partnership project with the Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York, and some of the amazing documents which are now in our care.

 

Environment and Natural History Collections

Location: Online

This exhibition showcases our wide range of archives relating to the environment and natural history, including personal archives of local naturalists. Click on the link above to discover more about these fascinating, and often underused, collections. This exhibition also forms part of the History Day 2021 celebrations. 

The Frankie Howerd Archive
  • Location: Online
  • In 2021, the Borthwick Institute for Archives purchased the archive of Frankie Howerd. The acquisition was facilitated by Neil Pearson Rare Books Ltd, with the generous support of the Friends of the National Libraries, V&A Purchase Grant Fund, Friends of the University of York Library and Archives, and Storey Fund for Library and Archives. Click the link above to discover more about this amazing collection in our new microsite. 

Bringing the Rowntree Leisure Time Interviews to Life

  • Location: Online
  • Click the link above to explore life in post-war Britain, as History PhD student Rachel Feldberg brings the Rowntree Leisure Time Interviews, held by the Borthwick Institute, to life in a series of dramatic performances.

Fragments of the Medieval World

  • Dates: 18 April - 9 July 2017
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • A rare chance to see surviving fragments of medieval books and manuscripts -  many of which were thought to be lost forever
 Mabel Leaf, Bootham watercolour

What's New in the Archives? Recent accessions at the Borthwick Institute

  • Dates: 3 January - April 2017
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • A display of some of the new material that has been gifted to or deposited with the Borthwick Institute over the last 6 years
inside-out

Inside Out: medical illustration in the Special Collections at York

  • Dates: 26 August - 17 December 2014
  • Location: Fairhurst Building, ground floor corridor
  • A display of material relating to the depiction of the human body over 4 centuries
 An example from the Atkinson Brierley archive

 The Architecture of War Memorials

  • Dates: 1 June - 19 September 2014
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • A surrogate exhibition of architectural material from the Atkinson Brierley archive held at the Borthwick Institute
Pity of War exhibition - conflict and remembrance in the special collections‌‌

The Pity of War: conflict and remembrance in the Special Collections at the University of York

  • Dates: 7 May - 28 August 2014
  • Location: Fairhurst building, ground floor corridor
  • A display of material relating to conflict and remembrance from the Special Collections
‌‌ Enchanted Modernities

Enchanted Modernities: Theosophy, Modernism and the Arts, c. 1875-1960 (History of Art website)

  • Dates: 7 February - 9 May 2014
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • A display of archival material from the Foulds/MacCarthy Archive Collection
The Borthwick at 60‌‌

The Borthwick at 60

  • Dates: November 2013 – January 2014
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • To mark our 60th anniversary we mounted an exhibition commemorating our opening in May 1953 and showcasing our history during the last six decades.
Aero Girls‌‌ 

Who were the Aero Girls?

  • Dates: 12 - 20 October 2013 and ongoing online
  • Location: York Mansion House/online exhibition
  • An exhibition to launch the "Who were the Aero Girls" project, unravelling the mystery of the Rowntree's paintings.
Best of Borthwick‌‌ 

Best of the Borthwick

  • Dates: April - May 2013
  • Location: Borthwick Exhibition Area
  • A showcase of some of our holdings, including archives from the Retreat Hospital, the Mount School, theatre, film and TV collections, Rowntree's and Terry's, and Ecclesiastical records.