| Description | This series contains eight journals compiled by Waterfield between 1929 and 1965, with a further journal that is undated.
Five of the journals are comprehensive (containing 80-153 pages of text each), but three journals are shorter or incomplete - specific details have been noted in the file descriptions. Five of the journals contain accompanying material filed inside the pages. These items, mostly correspondence and photographs, have been left in place, retaining their original order. They have been catalogued separately at item level.
Possibly due to the timespan involved, with the first journal written at the age of 21 and the last (excluding the undated journal) at 57, the journals vary in style and content. Most of the volumes contain chronological entries - usually not written daily - that are reflective, looking back over a preceding time period or musing on a particular subject. The majority of the entries are dated or have place names as headings. Waterfield's general style is highly descriptive, candid and reflective, and at times critical.
While generally concerning travel, two of the journals focus on Waterfield's experiences as a volunteer in the Friends Ambulance Unit during the Second World War. They include detailed and vivid descriptions of:
-journeys
-places
-people
-events
The journals also include references and musings reflecting Waterfield's scholarship and interests including, but not limited to the following subjects:
-literature
-works of art
-gardening & gardens
-culture
-personal issues/feelings
-sexuality & physical attraction
In some cases, Waterfield made small sketches of things he wished to record or explain visually.
Given the nature of journal writing, only the locations or subjects that Waterfield recorded in detail - for example where the description runs to several pages - have been listed in the catalogue. However, as his handwriting is occasionally difficult to read and some of the place names he recorded differ to those in current use, it has not always been possible to identify every location. Shorter entries have been noted if they contain unusual content. Where it has been possible, entries are cross-referenced with other relevant material in this collection, such as drawings.
|