The Feminist Archive (South) in Bristol, England, houses national and international material relating to the history of feminism, c.1960-2000.

We are the southern branch of the Feminist Archive. The Feminist Archive North is based in Leeds.

This material includes: periodicals, books, pamphlets, diaries, calendars, conference papers, personal letters, photographs, stickers, postcards, drawings, posters, banners, badges, vinyl records, mini-disks, audio cassettes, video cassettes, a 16mm film, clothing, digitised audio and film and various other ephemera.

The Archive began in 1978, when no other UK institution was collecting feminist ephemera. From one woman’s personal collection in an attic, it expanded and outgrew various locations in the region. The Archive divided in two in 1988, when the South branch moved to premises in Bristol. On 31 January 2008 the South branch became part of Special Collections at Bristol University, where it is currently housed.

The aim of the Archive is to collect and preserve feminist material from the 1960’s to 2000. A notable exception is the Dora Russell Collection, which documents the journey through Europe of the Women’s Peace Caravan in 1958.

The Archive relies on donated material. Any item pertaining to the women’s movement and feminist politics in general, within our period, is a valuable addition to the collection. Restrictions you may wish to place on donated material will be respected.

If you want to make enquiries about viewing the collection, please contact Hannah Lowery at Special Collections, University of Bristol.

To browse the catalogue, go to the Special Collections web page and use the search term ‘Feminist Archive.’