The archive contains manuscripts, private letters and business papers from authors who shaped the modern world through their writings on politics, society, travel, exploration and science.

Our grant also funded the development of library facilities to showcase the archive to its fullest. The existing south reading rooms were adapted and renamed the John Murray Reading Room, dedicated to the study of the archive and associated themes. The board room was redeveloped to become a multi-purpose events and exhibitions space to display highlights from the archive, such as the personal letters of authors including Lord Byron, Jane Austen, Charles Darwin and David Livingstone.