Open Stores: The Things We Keep

Welcome to Open Stores, a rare chance to explore what’s usually hidden from view. The Royal Holloway Art and Archive Collections contain thousands of objects, many of which are carefully stored away downstairs and rarely seen. Our stores exist to keep things safe, and to support research and teaching, but they also hold countless stories waiting to be rediscovered. 

For this display, we opened the stores and brought them upstairs – sharing a selection of works that aren’t often on public view. 

Working with students, volunteers, and colleagues from across the university, we asked: Why do we keep the things we keep? Our choices reflect personal favourites, untold stories, overlooked objects, and what we could physically get out of the stores and onto the walls. Together, they offer a snapshot of the collection and of our community and its history. 

The stores aren’t just a physical place. They are a space for thinking, questioning, and rethinking what belongs in a collection. We invite you to consider: what stories do these works tell? Which ones feel familiar and which ones surprise you? What would you add to the collection? 

Find out how to visit below:

Opening hours

The exhibition will be open 10am-6pm, every day.

Location

The exhibition is held in the Davison Exhibition Space, in the Emily Wilding Davison Building on our Egham campus.

Enter the Davison Building to access the large open atrium. The Exhibition Space is on the wall facing the silver library barriers, look out for the Open Stores window sticker.

A map of campus can be accessed here.

Getting here

Visitors can use the following address to travel to campus:

Royal Holloway University

Egham Hill

Egham

Surrey

TW20 0EX

The nearest train station is Egham station (25 mins walk), and 441 and 500 buses stop on the A30 next to campus.

Click here for further guidance on how to get to campus.

Accessibility

The Exhibition Space is step-free, with benches available throughout the space.

Large print booklets will be available for your visit, and an audio description legacy will be made available online.

There are toilets available in the Davison Building atrium next to Cafe on the Square, and a water point is accessible past the silver library barriers and to the left after the stairs.