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Archive Collections at HHC: Leisure Societies

Guide to material held at Hull History Centre arranged by research theme, record creator and document type, with copies of published source guides.

On this page:

“If you are losing your leisure, look out! It may be you are losing your soul”

Virginia Woolf 

Leisure Societies

Research Themes Supported

Hull History Centre holds the archival collections of a number of local societies and clubs. Such collections can aid research into many areas including:

  • Choral and Orchestral Groups
  • Cricket Clubs
  • Football Clubs
  • Rugby Clubs
  • Rowing Clubs
  • Swimming Clubs
  • Rambling Groups
  • Women’s Societies
  • Men’s Clubs
  • Heritage Preservation Societies
  • Literary Groups

Typical Record Formats

Society records commonly include minutes, annual reports, accounts, correspondence, calendars of events, programmes, publicity material, publications, press cuttings, and photographs.

Key collections

The following collections have significant research potential in the area of leisure society records:

  • Hull Boys Club (C DSHB)
  • Hull Lydian Male Voice Choir (C DSLM)
  • Hull Literary Club (U DLC)

Further collections

The following PDF contains a list of HHC collections that may be useful to researchers interested in leisure societies.

Additional supporting material

The following material may also be useful when researching this area:

  • Local Studies and historical maps – these can help trace the development of buildings such as club houses, sports grounds, etc.
  • Local newspapers, available on microfilm or via the British Newspaper Archive Online – society formation and meetings, sports results, advertisement of events, etc. are often reported.
  • ‘Literature & Drama’ collections – these include material relating to theatre groups.
  • ‘Politics & Protest’ collections – these include material relating to politically focuses societies and pressure groups.