The extension and refurbishment of the Hartley Library in 2004 provided an opportunity to incorporate public exhibition space as an integral part of the library environment. This space includes the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery and the Level 4 Gallery.
The Special Collections Gallery was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund primarily for the display of material from the collections to encourage public awareness and access. The exhibition programme focuses on themes within the collection and links in with University academic activity including celebrations of research, conferences and contributions to national and international events and commemorations.
Past exhibitions have focused on a wide range of topics including the Anglo-Jewish community, the Duke of Wellington, the Peninsular War, the history of the University, the independence of India and Pakistan, the slave trade, revolution and romanticism, and refugee children from the Spanish Civil War.
As well as drawing on material held by the Special Collections Division, exhibitions have included materials from the Hampshire Records Office, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Knitting Reference Library, and the University of Southampton School of Ocean and Earth Science.
You can view content from our past exhibitions on our Special Collections Gallery blog: https://specialcollectionsgallery.wordpress.com/
Opening Hours
The Gallery is open on weekdays, 10:00 to 16:00, during exhibitions (closing for lunch from 12:00-12:30). Admission is free. Please note that visitors will be asked for photo ID by Library Reception staff.
For details of current and upcoming exhibitions see the Events Calendar.
Getting Here
The Gallery is situated on level 4 of the Hartley Library, University of Southampton. The Library is on the east side of University Road, on the University’s Highfield Campus. For a campus map and details of parking see: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/visit/getting-to-our-campuses.page