Lewis Carroll's photographs, letters and family keepsakes are on show free at Surrey History Centre, Woking, until 26 November. Opening days and the talk.
Original photographs taken by Lewis Carroll are on show at Surrey History Centre in Woking until Thursday 26 November. Entry is free.
The exhibition is called This Side of the Looking Glass: Archives from the Real Life of Lewis Carroll. It opened on 1 October, according to Surrey County Council’s announcement. It was first put on in 2025 for the 160th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This year’s version adds items from the collection of the Carroll scholar Edward Wakeling.
What is on show
The centre’s events page lists:
- Carroll’s original photographs of his brothers, sisters and aunt
- letters from Carroll himself
- letters from Charles Darwin and from Princess Alice, Queen Victoria’s young granddaughter
- family keepsakes and childhood creations lent by the Dodgson family, shown for the first time
- items from the Manners Collection and the West Horsley Place Trust
The display fills the centre’s foyer and its display cabinets.
Why it is in Surrey
Carroll’s real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. Most people link him with Oxford, but from 1868 his sisters lived at The Chestnuts on Castle Hill in Guildford. He spent many Christmases there.
The council says he finished Through the Looking-Glass in Guildford and took photographs and long walks during his visits. He also preached at St Mary’s Church in the town.
The Wakeling material arrived in March 2026, under the archive reference 10829. Wakeling died in 2023. He edited and transcribed Carroll’s diaries and wrote the catalogue of Carroll’s photographs, the centre said in its note on the bequest. His collection also includes Salvador Dalí’s 1969 edition of Alice in Wonderland.
When you can go
The exhibition follows the centre’s normal opening hours. It is closed more days than it is open, so check before you set off.
| Day | Open |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9.30am to 12.45pm, 1.45pm to 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9.30am to 12.45pm, 1.45pm to 5pm |
| Thursday | 9.30am to 12.45pm, 1.45pm to 5pm |
| Second Saturday of the month | 9.30am to 1pm, 1.45pm to 4.15pm |
| Monday, Friday, Sunday | Closed |
The second Saturdays left in the run are today, 10 October, and 14 November. Normal searchroom admission rules apply.
The centre is at 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, GU21 6ND. Its car park is entered from Kingsway, and the satnav postcode is GU21 6NU. It is about a 15-minute walk from Woking station. See our parking in Woking page for town centre car parks.
The online talk on 4 November
Lewis Carroll: the Surrey Connections runs on Zoom on Wednesday 4 November, 5.30pm to 6.45pm. Tickets are £6.
Senior archivist Isabel Sullivan, who curated the exhibition, will talk about the centre’s Carroll collections. Mark Richards, a former chair of the Lewis Carroll Society, will give a talk called Lewis Carroll in Fairyland. Booking is through the events page, and registered attendees are sent a recording the next day.
What it means for you
The exhibition is free, but it is open only on three weekdays and two more Saturdays. If you work weekdays, Saturday 14 November is the last weekend chance after today.
Families have a second reason to visit in half term. The centre runs free spooky crafts for children aged 3 to 12 from Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 October, 9.30am to 5pm. Parents must stay with their children.
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