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City of London Corporation

The London Archives

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Explore London's Story

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Explore London's Story

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Explore London's Story

London in the Second World War - free exhibition
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Explore London's Story

Plan Your Visit

1000 Years of London's History

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

Explore your story. Uncover London's history. Discover The London Archives.

London in the Second World War

Our current exhibition

Registration

Search the catalogue, register for a History Card to access original documents and find out more about the services we offer.

Featured Events

Find out more about our upcoming special featured events.

clown-with-dog-magic-lantern
What's On
Magic Lantern Show and Exhibition Late View
Performance
Join us for an evening of Victorian magic and entertainment with Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker from the Magic Lantern Society! Tickets selling fast!
banner-centre-stage-music-hall
What's On
Centre Stage: Music Hall at The London Archives
Symposium & Showcase
This insightful event showcases the diversity of our collections and explores the social, cultural, and architectural legacy of Music Hall through engaging talks by leading historians and cultural experts, especially curated document displays and interactive sessions with archivists and conservators.

Events

Our events programme has something for everyone, from history workshops to behind the scenes tours. For a full list of our upcoming events visit Eventbrite.

e - Huntley Conference image from Jan-Mar Events Guide
What's On
The Power of Black African Caribbean Archives
Annual Huntley Conference 2025
This year's Huntley Conference celebrates the enduring power of Black-led and community-curated archives with a celebration that brings together artists, archivists, scholars and activists to explore archives as instruments of resistance, cultural memory, and collective self-representation.
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Talk
Science, the Supernatural and the Victorian Illusionists
Talk
An illustrated talk drawing on our collection of entertainment posters. We will meet all manner of apparitions - including devils, skeletons, and a flying rabbit. Hear how these were created using an illusion at that time called Pepper's Ghost.
louisa-aldrich-blake-event
Talk
Louisa Aldrich-Blake - The First Woman Master of Surgery
Talk and performance
2025 sees the centenary of the death of Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake. The event includes a talk by Professor Claire Brock, archival document displays and a specially written performance by the Pascal Theatre Company.
AOS Dec 2 - small
What's On
Archives on Show: The London County Council Photograph Collection
Document Viewing
Our 'Archives on Show' events are a chance for us to show you the wide range of material we hold at The London Archives. In December we look at the London County Council Photograph Library.
agar-solvent-gel-preparation
Workshop
Solvent-gels workshop
Led by Book and Paper Conservator Françoise Richard
A three-day training course focussing on the use of gels combined with aqueous solutions and organic solvents for in book and paper conservation.
history-of-the-world-in-twelve-shipwrecks
What's On
A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks
Literary Event
Join maritime archaeologist David Gibbins in a discussion of his book on twelve ships and the people who sailed on them, the cargo and treasure they carried and their tragic fate.
the-worlds-of-jane-austen
What's On
The Worlds of Jane Austen
Literary Event
Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with Helena Kelly, author of 'The Worlds of Jane Austen', exploring people, politics and places that shaped Austen's life and work.

Spotlight on Music Hall

Free display

Exhibitions and displays

The London Archives has a changing programme of exhibitions throughout the year both in Clerkenwell and the Heritage Gallery at the Guildhall Art Gallery. Look out for our outdoor exhibitions too.

home-guard-unit
Exhibition
London in the Second World War
Our current exhibition
Explore the experiences of Londoners during the Second World War in this free exhibition. What effect did it have on the city they knew? What was it like to live through the Blitz, to see your neighbourhood change overnight, or to be a volunteer with one of the city’s emergency services?
spotlight-on-music-hall-cropped
What's On
Spotlight on Music Hall
Free display
A small but striking display featuring some of our treasures from around the 1890s-1920s relating to Music Hall on show in the Information Area. From 6 October 2025 until 5 February 2026 | Free
epping-forest-invitation
Exhibition
Epping Forest
Exhibition at City Heritage Gallery
A free exhibition on Epping Forest using documents from The London Archives on show at Guildhall from 27 September 2025 to 30 April 2026.

About the catalogue

1000 Years of London's History

The London Archives Blog

Explore stories and articles about the archives and London's history in our blog.

isabella-a-patchwork-of-roots
Exhibition
Illustrating the 'London in the Second World War' exhibition
Isabella Lazeris
Artist Isabella Lazeris worked with our 'London in the Second World War' exhibition and provided an illustrative interpretation for a contemporary audience.
shakespeares-london-model-booklet-crop
Long read
Henry V
Propaganda at the Cinema
Highlighting some research in connection with our London in the Second World War Exhibition - this article investigates a surprising connection between the 1944 film ‘Henry V’ and the London County Council.
mary-beale-portrait
Long read
Women and Art in London
Find out more
Learn about women producing and publishing art in London during the 1600s - 1800s.
magna-carta-london
Long read
Magna Carta in the City of London
Find out more
Find out more about the Magna Carta held in the collection at The London Archives.
340927-harrods-wireless
Long read
The History of London Department stores
Find out more
Here we delve into the rich history of London's department stores and reflect on how the retail landscape has changed over the centuries.
holborn-viaduct
Exhibition
Writing the War
Reading literature of the Second World War
Highlighting some research in connection with our London in the Second World War Exhibition - here we reflect on The London Archives' book group wartime reads.
open-air-raid-report-book
Exhibition
Recording the war: air raid report books
Exhibition highlights
Highlighting some of the features of our London in the Second World War Exhibition - here we investigate the air raid report books.
queen-county-hall
Long read
London's Auxiliary Ambulance Station 50
The untold story of the Blitz
Highlighting some research in connection with our London in the Second World War Exhibition - here we take a closer look at the contribution of London's South Asian communities to civil defence.

RIBA

at The London Archives

In Focus

Discover our work and services, and find out more about us.
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Our Services
About us
Our history, organisation and governance
City of London Logo White on Black
About Us
The City of London Corporation
Governing the Square Mile
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Our Services
Our services
Copying services, boxes, images and more
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About Us
Our history
Key dates in the history of The London Archives
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Our Work
Collections Care
Archive conservation at The London Archives
staff-editing-photographic-copies
Our Services
Copying services for documents and images
Requesting copies of items in the archive
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Our Work
New Acquisitions
Collecting and preserving London's history
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Our Work
Digitisation
Our commercial digitisation offer
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Our Work
Our work
Preserving and sharing London's Archives

Our Projects

Read about our projects and partnerships
old-london-bridge
Our Work
Bridging History Project
City Bridge project
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Our Work
The Africa Centre Project
Cataloguing the collection
volunteer-photo-boxes
Our Work
Projects
Current and previous project work
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Our Work
Positive History Project
Preserving the archives of HIV/AIDS
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The London Picture Archive

Images and Maps

What our visitors say

I have made many visits in the past 20 years to this valuable and wonderful archive centre. The staff are always so helpful, knowledgeable, and approachable. If you have London ancestry, be sure to pay a visit.
Google review
What an absolute thrill to be given the chance to see the Shakespeare deed - thank you!
TLA visitor book
Really interesting location with well presented current exhibition and an excellent series of talks and lectures.
Google review
I came to search for information on smallpox, Dr Ricketts and the hospitals in Darenth. The staff were excellent - very helpful and I found exactly what I was looking for.
Google review
Great exhibitions and reading rooms if you're into that.. staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Great times.
Google review
I visited today and found the staff extremely knowledgeable helpful and friendly
Google review
Very interesting had a tour and viewed some posters and books ... so much held here amazing
Google review
Really enjoyable exhibition. Good to see info on ordinary people living through the war in London.
Exhibition comments book