The London Archives

The London Archives The London Archives is a free public archive focussing on the history of London from 1067 to the present day. Entrance is free and everyone is welcome.
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Visit us to explore millions of historical manuscripts, maps, photographs, books and films or enjoy our exhibitions, events and workshops. Explore your story. Uncover London's history. Discover The London Archives.

This pretty little courtyard is Golden Yard in Hampstead. Its flagstone paving, listed buildings and street lamp, are st...
25/08/2026

This pretty little courtyard is Golden Yard in Hampstead. Its flagstone paving, listed buildings and street lamp, are still easily recognisable from this 1975 photograph!

Discover thousands more photographs on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

Interested in discovery your own family history, for free? Why not join us and the Association of Genealogists and Resea...
20/08/2026

Interested in discovery your own family history, for free? Why not join us and the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives, on Saturday 12th September for our "Ask the Experts" in-person sessions.

Time slots for the day are now available to book!

Follow the link in our bio to our website to secure your place.

Today is World Photography Day, so we're looking through the London Picture Archive to share some early examples of phot...
19/08/2026

Today is World Photography Day, so we're looking through the London Picture Archive to share some early examples of photography in London.

📸 Slide 1 shows a photographer on Clapham Common in 1877.

📸 Slide 2 was taken during a photography class at Bloomsbury Trade School in 1911.

📸 Slide 3 shows a photography classroom at the South East London Technical Institute in 1924.

Discover more photographs from the London Picture Archive by following the link in our bio.
Please note that we are shut for our annual closure between Monday 17 August and Monday 31 August 2026 inclusive.

From our collection here’s Walthamstow Central Library in 1984. The front is on the High Street which is also home to th...
13/08/2026

From our collection here’s Walthamstow Central Library in 1984. The front is on the High Street which is also home to the longest street market in Europe! Not much has changed in these recent photos, except for the removal of a brick wall by the ‘stripey’ rear of the building.

Enjoy more photographs on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

Calling all Lightning Talkers! (well, specifically those interested in music hall!)On Thursday 15 October, we're present...
12/08/2026

Calling all Lightning Talkers! (well, specifically those interested in music hall!)

On Thursday 15 October, we're presenting 'Archives After Hours: Ada Campe Dallies in the Stacks' - An evening of Music Hall, archives, cabaret and entertainment, featuring a bespoke performance by the award-winning variety artiste Ada Campe, a display of original archive material, a bar, and a few fast-paced talks celebrating London's remarkable entertainment heritage.

We're looking for a handful of speakers to deliver lightning talks of no more than 5–7 minutes on subjects inspired by London's Music Hall, variety theatre, popular entertainment and nightlife in the early twentieth century.

Interested? check our website to find out more...https://www.thelondonarchives.org/join-in/calling-all-lightning-talkers

Did you know that we have a shop at The London Archives? From TLA tote bags and pencils, to prints and posters, we have ...
11/08/2026

Did you know that we have a shop at The London Archives?

From TLA tote bags and pencils, to prints and posters, we have a growing range of goodies to buy.

Why not pop down before our annual closure and check out what's on offer?

The satisfaction of seeing our exhibitions in their entirety, rather than in their individual parts, is always a timely ...
10/08/2026

The satisfaction of seeing our exhibitions in their entirety, rather than in their individual parts, is always a timely moment for us to reconnect with some of the ideas and thinking behind it.

As we reflect, we’d like to share some of these thoughts with you and present a broad overview of what’s on display in our current exhibition, “Londoners on Trial”.

Follow the link in our bio to read our blog post “Curating ‘Londoners on Trial’” to find out more!

We were delighted to welcome members of the City of London Staff Multi-Faith Network to The London Archives. During thei...
07/08/2026

We were delighted to welcome members of the City of London Staff Multi-Faith Network to The London Archives. During their visit, they explored records relating to the world's five major religions, including two of our most iconic treasures, the Vulgate Bible and Tafsir al-Baydawi.

This impressive building is the Guildhall in Kingston High Street. Red brick and semi circular, and with a tall tower, i...
06/08/2026

This impressive building is the Guildhall in Kingston High Street. Red brick and semi circular, and with a tall tower, it was built in the 1930’s as the headquarters of the Municipal Borough of Kingston-Upon-Thames, and later became the administrative headquarters of the Kingston-Upon-Thames Borough Council. The magistrates courts closed in 2011, and were converted into a venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies. Such a recognisable local landmark, and still looks much the same today as it did in 1974!

Discover more photographs on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

We were delighted to welcome students from Wansan High School in South Korea to The London Archives as part of their res...
05/08/2026

We were delighted to welcome students from Wansan High School in South Korea to The London Archives as part of their research into the foundations of the NHS and the evolving direction of public healthcare.

The students were deeply curious and engaged with the original archival records, including the Weekly Bills of Mortality, Beveridge report, and Hansard volume of parliamentary debates about the National Health Service.

It was wonderful to see such curiosity, knowledge, and engagement with the collections!

Address

The London Archives, 40 Northampton Road
London
EC1R0HB

Telephone

+442073323820

Website

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