The London Archives
Explore London's Story
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Explore London's Story
Plan Your Visit
Explore London's Story
Help With Your Research1000 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.
Our next events
Our events programme has something for everyone, from history workshops to behind the scenes tours.
Exhibition
Curator's Exhibition Tour - Lost Victorian City
Book your place
25 October - Every month our curators will guide you through the exhibition uncovering a lost Victorian London.
Performance
Magic Lantern Show
Book your tickets
24 October - Join us for an evening of entertainment by the renowned magic lantern performers Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker with live piano music accompaniment.
What's On
London Talks: Women's Football
Evening Talk
14 November - A talk with Professor Jean Williams, author of The History of Women's Football and Professor of Sport.
What's On
Nick Hornby – About a Boy
Book Group
16 October - Book Group meets monthly to explore a range of London writing, with a remit covering fiction and non-fiction for all periods.
Learning
Archives on Show: The City of London’s Bridges
Document viewing
11 October - Our Archives on Show events are a chance for us to show you the sheer range of material we hold at The London Archives. This month, bridges!
What's On
Victorian Spiritualism
and 'The Other Side of Mrs Wood'
4 December - Join us at The London Archives as author Lucy Barker presents her critically acclaimed debut novel 'The Other Side of Mrs Wood'.
What's On
Archives on Show: Lost Victorian City
Document viewing
11 November - Our Archives on Show events are a chance for us to show you the sheer range of material we hold at The London Archives. This session takes a closer look at documents from the Victorian era.Current exhibitions
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.
The London Archives Blog
Explore stories and articles about the archives and London's history in our blog.
News
Hello from The London Archives
...and a fond farewell to the metropolitan
Find out why we've changed our name to The London Archives.
Exhibition
Philip Henry Delamotte and the Crystal Palace
Exhibition highlights
Highlighting some of the features of our Lost Victorian City Exhibition - we explore the rarely seen Crystal Palace in photographs from 1852.
Exhibition
Seed Cake recipe
Tastes from the Lost Victorian City
Experimenting with Victorian recipes - this time we're trying out a seed cake.
Exhibition
Victorian Fashion Prints
Exhibition highlights
Highlighting some of the features of our Lost Victorian City Exhibition, here we take a look at Victorian fashion prints.
Book Group
'The Crimson Petal and the White' by Michael Faber
September 2024 Book Group
Find out about The London Archives' book group in September 2024 where we discussed 'The Crimson Petal and the White' by Michael Faber.
Exhibition
Tower Bridge and the Port of London
Exhibition Highlights
Highlighting some of the features of our Lost Victorian City Exhibition - we explore the Port of London.In Focus
Discover our work and services, and find out more about us.
Our Projects
Read about our projects and partnerships
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.
Really interesting location with well presented current exhibition and an excellent series of talks and lectures.
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.
Great exhibitions and reading rooms if you're into that.. staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Great times.
I visited today and found the staff extremely knowledgeable helpful and friendly
Very interesting had a tour and viewed some posters and books ... so much held here amazing