PCT is open for researchers and students by appointment.

Please call 0207 228 5335 to arrange a visit.

The centre houses the following resources related to puppetry...

Library & Archive: PCT houses one of the most extensive libraries dedicated to puppetry in the country.
> Click here for further information.

Journals: PCT carries comprehensive back catalogues of Animations, Puppet Master, Total Theatre, Puppet Notebook, Puppenspiel, The Puppetry Journal (USA) and Puppets et Therapie amongst others.

Videos: The Puppet Centre video library contains a mixture of commercial and private recordings. Commercial videos include the excellent History of American Puppetry and Glyn Edwards' Punch and Judy as well as numerous examples of children’s TV puppetry from the early days of Muffin the Mule and Torchy the Battery Boy, through Thunderbirds and Pogles Wood and to later classics such as Wallace and Grommit and Five Children and It.

Private recordings provide examples of early works by the late Barry Smith, The Norwich Puppet Theatre, Oily Cart, Stephen Mottram and Dynamic New Animation. There are also examples of puppeteers’ work from China, Japan, Israel, Vietnam, Australia and the USA covering many aspects of puppetry and animation.

PCT is currently collecting DVD examples of the current work of many contemporary British puppet companies to add to our collection

Slides: The Puppet Centre slide collection is a most comprehensive collection of puppetry photographs. It includes collections from American puppeteer Alan Clarke and Hogarth puppets from the UK. On the international side there are photographs of shadow puppets from the Far and Middle East, Greece, Turkey, folk puppets from many European countries and masks from many lands.

UK puppeteers are represented by Barry Smith, Gordon Craig and Jessica Souhami. There is also a section on TV puppets which include the work of Jim Henson.