Where Noël Coward’s Legacy Lives On: A New Home for His Timeless Works
Noël Coward and Gertrude Lawrence in a performance of Coward’s Private Lives (1930), Image Source: Britannica
Image Source: Altitude Films
The Noël Coward Archive Trust
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, producer, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”. Some of his most famous works include Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and the wartime songs “London Pride” and “Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans”.
The Noël Coward Archive is the largest literary-theatrical collection of its kind in the world, including over 15,000 artefacts. The mission of the Trust is to preserve Coward’s legacy and influence by making publicly available materials from his lifetime through accessible, sustainable cultural heritage practices.
The Noël Coward Archive Trust
Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 1899 – 26 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, producer, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called “a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”. Some of his most famous works include Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Brief Encounter and the wartime songs “London Pride” and “Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans”.
The Noël Coward Archive is the largest literary-theatrical collection of its kind in the world, including over 15,000 artefacts. The mission of the Trust is to preserve Coward’s legacy and influence by making publicly available materials from his lifetime through accessible, sustainable cultural heritage practices.
Image Source: Altitude Films
Where Literary and Theatrical History Resides
The Noël Coward Archive Trust required a robust and comprehensive solution for the preservation and management of its extensive collection, ensuring the enduring accessibility of Sir Noël Coward’s significant legacy.
Cube Fine Art Services provided a suite of specialised services tailored to the delicate and irreplaceable nature of the archive materials. The new archive has more room to display Coward artefacts and a dedicated space for academic research.
Image Source: History Today, Noël Coward, 1963.
The Moving and Storage Project
Recognising the importance of environmental control, Cube Fine Art Services implemented secure, temperature and humidity control storage, ensuring the preservation of invaluable artefacts for future generations. This initiative includes the careful relocation and methodical organisation of the collection of books by and about Noël Coward within Cube’s archive facility.
Beyond storage, Cube offered a comprehensive logistical package, encompassing meticulous packing and transportation carried out by a team of highly experienced art technicians and air-ride suspension lorry. The Cube team handled each item with utmost care, utilising specialised techniques and materials to ensure safe transit. To further enhance the protection of the collection during transport, Cube Fine Art supplied robust metal roll cages and custom-built crates. These were designed to securely house and transport fragile items, minimising the risk of damage.
Upon arrival at the storage facility, Cube Fine Art installed custom-designed shelving, diligently configured to optimise space and provide secure housing for the diverse range of archive materials. This bespoke shelving solution facilitated efficient organisation and retrieval, ensuring the long-term accessibility and management of the collection.
Before and after unpacking boxes on the customised shelves
Notably, one of the biggest items in their archive room is this seven-foot-long carving of a garland with cherubs – suspected to be a Grinling Gibbons though never proven!
This was bought at an auction at Herstmonceux Castle for Goldenhurst Farm – the country home of Noël Coward. Cube Fine Art’s expertise in handling and storing such large and delicate items was crucial in ensuring its safe preservation.
The services extended beyond physical storage and handling, providing the Trust with access to Cube Co-Working facilities and a private meeting room. This allowed the Trust to conduct research, collaborate, and engage with the archive in a professional and comfortable environment.
Images Source: Noël Coward Facebook Page
Additional Information
The Noël Coward new archive, housed at Cube Fine Art Services in Uckfield, is a storage space for archive materials when they’re not on display. Access is strictly by appointment for academic research purposes. For public engagement with Noël Coward’s multifaceted legacy, including his significant contributions to theatre history, please visit the Noël Coward Room in central London.
To discuss bespoke packing, transportation, and temperature or climate-controlled storage solutions, please reach out to Cube Fine Art Services or call 0800 027 2668.
Contact
- services@cubeselfstorage.co.uk
- 0800 027 2668
- Cube House, Bell Lane, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QL, United Kingdom
