Visit the archive

Are you a researcher wanting to access Roald Dahl material?

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, located in Roald Dahl’s hometown of Great Missenden, has a small Reading Room which bona fide researchers may visit by appointment only. Here you can study original documents from the archive, use digital copies, or watch audio-visual footage on Roald Dahl and his work.

We recommend that you search our online collections database before arranging a visit to the Reading Room using the information below. We also recommend that you try and find out as much as possible about Roald Dahl from secondary sources. If you contact us, we can provide information about these sources, many of which are available in our Reading Room.

Making an appointment to visit

1. Contact the Roald Dahl Museum archivist: collections@roalddahlmuseum.org

2. Provide us with a letter of recommendation from a referee supporting your study, for example, a university tutor or publisher.

We make a daily charge for researchers who come to use the facilities in the Reading Room. A Reader’s ticket also entitles you to free entry to the Museum galleries if they are open on the day of your visit.

Archive fees

The Roald Dahl Museum is an independent charity devoted to exploring creativity.

We ask people who want to access the Museum’s collection to help pay towards some of the costs of preserving this fantastic and unique resource which is part of national and global literary heritage.

Non-profit fees

• One-Day Archive Readers Ticket £15
• Archive enquires (up to 30 minutes) FREE
• Archive enquiries (30 minutes plus) £30 per 30 minutes

Commercial fees

• One-Day Archive Readers Ticket £30
• Archive enquires (up to 30 minutes) FREE
• Archive enquiries (30 minutes plus) £60 per 30 minutes

Agreeing to the Reading Room rules

In common with many other archives and specialist libraries, we ask all researchers to sign a declaration saying that they agree to abide by our rules. This also includes a statement that copyright material is made available only for private study and must not be published in any form without permission.

• No bags or coats are allowed in the Reading Room.
• No pens are allowed in the Reading Room – notes must be made in pencil.
• No food or drink is allowed in the Reading Room.
• Original documents must be handled carefully and appropriately, as directed.
• No cameras or scanners may be used, at the request of the copyright holders.
• Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the Museum site.