Sketches by Mervyn Peake, made whilst he was hospitalised at Roehampton. Mostly consisting of drawings of heads in pencil and crayon. Some drawings dated October 1964 [in Maeve Gilmore's hand].
Preparatory work for Peake's fictionalised account of his childhood [working title 'China to Eltham']. Although the earliest material dates from 1939, Peake probably started work on his autobiography in 1950; see Maeve Gilmore, Peake's Progress (Middlesex: Penguin, 1981), p.470.
Papers of Maeve Gilmore and the Mervyn Peake Estate
Scope & Content:
Predominantly relating to the work of Mervyn Peake, but also concerning Maeve's own painting and writing. The correspondence includes personal letters to Maeve from her friends and family, including letters from Mervyn. The majority of this material dates from the late 1950s to Maeve's death in 1...
Unfinished play. Comprises two parts: A: Notebook made from typescript and manuscript leaves pasted into a copy of The British Countryside in Pictures. Consists of Act I and beginning of Act II. Includes drawings of characters Manifold Basket and Bellgrove. Undated. B: Five loose leaves with f...
Complete play. Maeve Gilmore's introductory note for 'The Cave' in Peake's Progress states 'This play was written between 1957 and 1959' [see Add MS 88931/13/4/5].
Unfinished play. Comprises two parts: A: Loose leaves with autograph notes for the first five scenes and the beginning of Act I Scene 1. Undated [although one leaf is inscribed 'A LINE' which suggests that this may be contemporaneous with Peake's idea for television 'Just a Line', circa 1955 -...