This donation includes a great deal of OB London Branch ephemera and correspondence. Much of it dates to when the Branch was formally reconstituted, from 1976 onwards, and into the 1980s and early 1990s. Among these records are Meetings Minutes of the Branch’s Committee during this period, as well as correspondence relating to subscriptions and Branch events. Some older records, from the Branch’s first iteration, are also included within this donation, such as a copy of the Branch’s object and rules, from 1959.
Also included within the donation are records relating to the Old Brightonian Rugby Football Club, as well as the Old Brightonian Association itself.
However, the stars of this donation consist of a handsome wooden box and a black gavel, both inlaid with the Brighton College crest, which were used by the London Branch during its original iteration. The box itself was presented by A.C. Stanley-Stone, who was President of the London Branch between 1924 and 1925. On the box’s plaque are the names of the Past Presidents of the London Branch between 1920 and 1934. Contained within the box is the black gavel, which was presented to the London Branch by a past president of the branch, J. Alun Pugh.
With these records, we are now able to tell a much more complete story of the OBA London Branch, its activities, and its members, over the years, particularly during its second iteration. The box and gavel constitute some of the most beautiful, and certainly unique, items within the archive’s collection.