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.

05/06/2026

Do you have fond memories of visiting the Africa Centre?

Join us on next Friday 12/5 for our event 'Archives on Show: The Africa Centre'

Discover a selection of archival material tracing the history of The Africa Centre, a London based charity established in 1961 that supports and connects Africa and its diaspora through art, culture, heritage, and debate.

Our Archives on Show events are a chance for us to show you the wide range of material we hold at The London Archives.

Whether you are new to archives and curious to see what we hold, or you are an experienced researcher that wants to learn more, these relaxed events offer a chance for you to see a selection of original materials on a changing monthly theme.

FREE tickets: https://www.thelondonarchives.org/whats-on/archives-on-show-the-africa-centre

Fenton House was built in 1693 on Hampstead Grove, and is Grade I Listed. It’s had several owners in its long history, a...
02/06/2026

Fenton House was built in 1693 on Hampstead Grove, and is Grade I Listed. It’s had several owners in its long history, and was previously known as The Old Clock House. Today it is a National Trust property and home to a collection of keyboard instruments dating from 1540. This recent photograph shows how little has changed compared to these 1975 photographs and 19th century engraving from our collection.

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

Need to cool down? Find an ice house! These brick dome structures kept food and ice cool before we had fridges and freez...
30/05/2026

Need to cool down? Find an ice house! These brick dome structures kept food and ice cool before we had fridges and freezers, and were built on the grounds of large manor houses. They are sometimes covered by a mound of earth, like this one in which is Grade II Listed. There are some in London including Putney Park Lane, from our photograph collections from 1977. Ice wells are similar but are usually underground and much larger, like this one which was in St James's Place in 1957!

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

This week, thousands of people will be visiting Chelsea Flower show. It’s held at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which ...
19/05/2026

This week, thousands of people will be visiting Chelsea Flower show. It’s held at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which was founded more than 300 years ago and is home to veteran soldiers, seen here in 1915. Thousands of plants and flowers will be displayed, like these winning carnations at the Royal Carnation Show in 1924.

Explore our Parks and Gardens gallery on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/gallery?i=342334

In celebration of Music Hall & Variety Day we have recreated our feature on The Finsbury Park Empire from our Music Hall...
16/05/2026

In celebration of Music Hall & Variety Day we have recreated our feature on The Finsbury Park Empire from our Music Hall display last year.

We are running another event in the Autumn, watch this space to find out more!



https://www.thelondonarchives.org/the-finsbury-park-empire

The beautiful red brick North House, on Eton Avenue, Hampstead, was built for portrait artist John Collier in 1890. This...
13/05/2026

The beautiful red brick North House, on Eton Avenue, Hampstead, was built for portrait artist John Collier in 1890. This photo in our collection was taken in 1978, and it looks pretty much the same today, with the windows of the artist’s studio on the left.

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

Two Temple Place was the office of William Waldorf Astor, and was built in the 1890s. The building houses a display of w...
05/05/2026

Two Temple Place was the office of William Waldorf Astor, and was built in the 1890s. The building houses a display of wealth with ornate carvings, a stained glass skylight ceiling and windows, and is a listed property. Features inside this beautiful building include this mahogany door to the Great Hall, with nine panels showing heroines of Arthurian legend in silver-gilt, and an oak carved frieze depicting figures from Shakespeare’s plays under the glass skylight. These photos from our collection were taken in 1968, and it looks pretty much the same today, just in colour!


Search for more photographs of beautiful London buildings on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

"I never saw Hyde Park look as it did…" — Queen Victoria, 1 May 1851This year marks 175 years since the Great Exhibition...
01/05/2026

"I never saw Hyde Park look as it did…" — Queen Victoria, 1 May 1851

This year marks 175 years since the Great Exhibition opened in a vast glass palace in Hyde Park. Over six million visits were recorded, with tickets ranging from three guineas down to one shilling, making it one of the first truly mass public events in British history.

From the giant crystal fountain at its centre to the stained glass gallery and the chaotic first "shilling day," our archives hold a remarkable visual record of the exhibition and the world it sought to project.

Take a closer look on the blog 👇

https://www.thelondonarchives.org/blog/the-great-exhibition

Here’s the corner of Morwell Street and Bayley Street in Bloomsbury. The building on Morwell Street has been added, but ...
15/04/2026

Here’s the corner of Morwell Street and Bayley Street in Bloomsbury. The building on Morwell Street has been added, but otherwise it still looks pretty similar to our photograph from 1970. The curved bays of Bedford Square properties are visible behind, these were built between 1776-1781 and are Grade I Listed.

Explore thousands of architectural photographs on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

Today is The Boat Race! Oxford and Cambridge Universities will be racing on the River Thames in the annual race. Startin...
04/04/2026

Today is The Boat Race! Oxford and Cambridge Universities will be racing on the River Thames in the annual race. Starting at from Putney and finishing at Mortlake, they will row under several bridges along the route of 4 miles. Here’s Chelsea Bridge in 1977, and the Oxford crew training in Putney in 1924.

Sail through London images on The London Picture Archive https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/

Address

The London Archives, 40 Northampton Road
London
EC1R0HB

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 7pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+442073323820

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