The essential folk resource
Free entry
The most important concentration of material on traditional song, dance and music in the country – A Dictionary of English Folklore
The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) is the library and archive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS), based at its home, Cecil Sharp House in London. It is England’s national folk music and dance archive, an essential resource for anybody interested in the folk arts. Founded in 1930 as the Cecil Sharp Library to house Cecil Sharp’s personal book collection, it is now a multimedia library of distinction, containing books, periodicals, sound recordings, moving images, photographs, artefacts and archival materials.
It is a comprehensive collection containing the largest number of folk-related manuscripts in England, providing invaluable insight into folk history and regional variation.
The Library was given an excellence award by the International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML) in 2010 and designated status by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) in 2011.
Opening hours
Tuesday–Friday from 10am to 5pm.
1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10.30am to 4pm.
Contact
Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
Cecil Sharp House
2 Regent's Park Road
London NW1 7AY
[email protected]
+44 (0)20 7485 2206 ext. 233
