London Archives and Libraries

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Archives and Libraries

London Metropolitan Archives

Archives

London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road
City of London EC1R 0HB UK

Telephone: 020 7332 3820
Email: ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Website
Family History at London Metropolitan Archives
Parish Registers at London Metropolitan Archives (Information on history, content, etc.)
Index to church parishes in London

• The London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) is the principal local government archive repository for the Greater London area, including the City of London: it is the largest county record office in the United Kingdom.
• The size and shape of what we call London has changed greatly over the years. London has grown from the original ancient City of London to the current area of Greater London which is made up of the 32 London boroughs. Understanding this expansion and the various boundary changes that took place will give you an idea where you will find the archives that you want to see.
• Of course, the part of London and home counties that our documents cover varies depending on the type of collection. For example, our Anglican parish records cover the ancient City of London and the old Counties of London and Middlesex. These are areas that were considered a part of London prior to 1965 and in terms of modern local London Boroughs include the following, Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, parts of Richmond Upon Thames (north of the River Thames), Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster.
• We do not hold parish records for the boroughs that were considered parts of Essex, Kent and Surrey until 1965 when they became a part of the Greater London Council. This includes Bexley and Bromley (both previously Kent) Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest (all previously Essex) and Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, parts of Richmond upon Thames (South of the River Thames) and Sutton (all previously Surrey). For these areas it's likely that the parish records will be held at the relevant county record office, with copies potentially held by the local borough archive.
• Furthermore, it is important to remember that not every parish may have chosen to deposit their records. Some may still retain them; others may have deposited material at the local borough archive. This is the case for the ancient parishes of the City of Westminster, whose records are held at Westminster City Archives.
• To find out which part of London and the home counties other collections such as wills and electoral registers cover, we suggest that you consult our Research Guides.

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City of Westminster Archives Centre
10 St Ann's Street
London SW1P 2DE UK

Telephone: 020 76415180
Email: archives@westminster.gov.uk
Website
Researching family history at the Archives Centre
Parish Registers
Non-conformist and Catholic records

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• Archives for London
  

c/o London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Road
London EC1R 0HB, UK

Email:enquiries@archivesforlondon.org
Website
London for Researchers Guide 2017 List of archives throughout London with links.

• London’s archive repositories range from the magnificent National Archives facility at Kew, to one room of local and family archives in North Kensington. Manuscripts of war and peace, of sport and travel, of education and entertainment, of religious worship and political activity are located throughout the Capital.

Archives for Areas formerly in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey

Kent

For Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke once in Kent until 1885, now in London:

Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust
Charlton House
Charlton Road, London
SE7 8RE, UK

Telephone:+44 (0) 20 8856 3951
Email:office@rght.org.uk
Website

Our archive resources include photographs, manuscripts, records, prints, newspapers, and books. These documents cover Royal Greenwich, the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Greenwich and Woolwich, and their predecessors (Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton, Kidbrooke).

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In 1965, the London boroughs of Bromley and Bexley were created from nine towns formerly in Kent.

Bromley Historic Collections
2nd floor Central Library
High Street
Bromley, London BR1 1EX UK

Telephone: 020 8461 7170
Email: historic.collections@bromley.gov.uk
Website

Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre
Central Library
Townley Road
Bexleyheath, London DA6 7HJ UK

Telephone: 020 3045 3369
Email: archives@bexley.gov.uk
Website
Local history research enquiries including baptism and marriage certificates

The Bexley Local Studies and Archive Centre holds a variety of sources for local and family historians and people researching the history of a building or house. Our archives date from the 14th century and relate to every town, village and parish in Bexley.

Essex

Barking and Dagenham Archives and Local Studies Centre Valence House Becontree Avenue Dagenham, London RM8 3HT UK Telephone: 020 8227 2033 Email: localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk Website Havering Local Studies Library Central Library St. Edwards' Way Romford, London RM1 3AR UK Telephone: 01708 432392 Email: localstudies@havering.gov.uk Website Newham Archives and Local Studies Library Stratford Library (First floor) 3 The Grove Stratford, London E15 1EL UK Telephone: 020 3373 6881 Email: archiveslocalstudies@newham.gov.uk Website

Redbridge Archives and History Redbridge Central Library Clements Road Ilford, London IG1 1EA UK Telephone: 020 8708 2414 Email: info.heritage@visionrcl.org.uk Website Waltham Forest Archives and Local Studies Library Vestry House Museum Vestry Road Walthamstow, London E17 9NH UK<brTelephone: 020 8496 4381 Email: vhm.enquiries@walthamforest.gov.uk Website

Hertfordshire

Barnet Local Studies Centre
The Burroughs
Hendon
London NW4 4BQ UK

Telephone: 020 8359 3960
Email: library.archives@barnet.gov.uk
Website

Barnet was part of Hertfordshire until 1963.

Libraries

Libraries in London

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Guildhall Library
Aldermanbury
London EC2V 7HH UK
Telephone: 20 7332 1868/1870
Email: guildhall.library@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Website
Family history
Parish registers
Online catalogue

Guildhall Library holds parish records for the ancient city of London.

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The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB UK
Telephone: 0843 208 1144
Email: Customer-Services@bl.uk
Website

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the second largest library in the world by number of items catalogued. It holds well over 150 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British Library receives copies of all books produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the UK.

The British Library is a major research library, with items in many languages and in many formats, both print and digital: books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, videos, play-scripts, patents, databases, maps, stamps, prints, drawings. The Library's collections include around 14 million books, along with substantial holdings of manuscripts and historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC. In addition to receiving a copy of every publication produced in the UK and Ireland (approximately 8,000 per day), the Library has a programme for content acquisitions. The Library adds some three million items every year occupying 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) of new shelf space.

Museums

• For a long list of London museums, go to List of museums in London in Wikipedia.

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British Museum
Great Russell St
Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3DG UK
Telephone: 20 7323 8299
Email: info@britishmuseum.org
Website: British Museum

The British Museum is dedicated to human history, art and culture, and is located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

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Museum of London
150 London Wall
London EC2Y 5HN UK
Telephone: 020 7001 9844
Email: access@museumoflondon.org.uk
Website

The Museum of London documents the history of London from prehistoric to modern times. The museum is located on London Wall, close to the Barbican Centre as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 1970s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb-damaged area of the City of London.

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National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Rd
Chelsea, London SW3 4HT UK
Telephone: 20 7730 0717
Email: info@nam.ac.uk
Website: National Army Museum

The National Army Museum is a leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present. We examine the army's role as protector, aggressor and peacekeeper from the British Civil Wars to the modern day. Through our collections we preserve and share stories of ordinary people with extraordinary responsibilities.

Civil Registration Offices

The General Register Office holds a central copy of all birth, marriage, and death registrations in England. These certificates can be ordered from their website (a login is required but it is free to register and search). However, in some cases research can be more efficient working with the smaller, more specific records collections of county/district registry offices.

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Sometimes research might be required to determine where a town or parish was in a former registration district, or even its current district. For a list of the historic and current registration districts and their parishes, see UKBMD: Registration Districts in London.

Ordering Certificates and Individual Office Information

• Family History Certificates for Greater London Includes links for copying certificates and contact information for registration offices around Great London.