The Orton Collection includes manuscripts, letters and other original material written, compiled or collected by the Leicester born John Kingsley (Joe) Orton (1933-1967), plus correspondence and memorabilia received and collected by members of the Orton family. It includes scripts and drafts of plays (published and unpublished), correspondence (mostly with his agent, Peggy Ramsay), a diary of his stay in Tangier, scrapbooks and press cuttings, programmes, photographs and personal memorabilia of both Orton and his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. Also included is the screenplay of Alan Bennett's Prick Up Your Ears, based on the biography of Joe Orton, written by John Lahr.
The collection was purchased from the Orton Estate in 1997.