Abbotsleigh, Sydney

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Abbotsleigh, Sydney

• Thurles Thomas Archives, Abbotsleigh

• Educational

Abbotsleigh is an an Anglican day and boarding school catering for girls from Pre Kindergarten to Year 12. It opened in 1885 and became an Anglican school in 1924.

The Abbotsleigh Archives opened in 1986. Our name changed to the Thurles Thomas Archives in 2004 in honour of the Abbotsleigh Old Girl who was instrumental in the formation of our archival collection.

For more information about the history of the school, see the website.

Abbotsleigh has had three different locations:

• North Sydney: 1885-1888
• Parramatta: 1888-1898
• Wahroonga: 1898- present

Officer-in-charge: Archivist

Continuing acquisition of material relating to the school, its current and ex-students, headmistresses and staff; with some material relating to the Anglican Church, and the local areas of Wahroonga, Ku-ring-gai, and our earlier locations of North Sydney and Parramatta.

The original school building was built at Wahroonga in 1898. The archives is housed in a purpose-built archive within the Abbotsleigh Research Centre.

• Secretary's Office: Student records, 1913- present (15m).
• Council: Minutes, 1924- present (4m).
• Photographic collection, 1885- present.
• Uniform collection, 1885- present.
• Headmistresses portrait collection.
• Art collection of watercolours painted by Abbotsleigh's first Headmistress, Marian Clarke.

Quantity: 75m.

• Student register, 1885- present
• Staff register, 1885- present
• Threads Through Time: a photographic history celebrating 125 years of Abbotsleigh, 2010.
• The Lily and the Lion: a history of Abbotsleigh, 2000, Susan Emilsen.

Abbotsleigh Archives is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am-4pm throughout the year, including term breaks.

Access to Abbotsleigh Archives is by appointment only, with advance notice stating the purpose of the research. Access to records not normally available for research can be gained by authorisation from the School Council.

General reference assistance available.

Copying and/or scanning service available for Abbotsleigh journals, photographs and original records - dependent upon the state of the original item/s.

There is no public space in the Abbotsleigh Archives, and limited parking onsite.

Revised 18 December 2022

• Arts and Culture (Thematic area)
• Education (Thematic area)
• Genealogical (Thematic area)
• Local Studies (Thematic area)
• Religion (Thematic area)