This collection consists of a selection of correspondence and papers taken from The Archive of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Material in the collection relates mostly to the management and development of the South Kensington Estate, later known as ‘Albertopolis’, and covers the period 1856-1867.

Letters include those relating to the further purchase of land, decisions regarding the Royal Horticultural Society Garden and the distribution of collections to various museums and educational institutions.