London Metropolitan Archives

Just off Farringdon Road, in the heart of Clerkenwell lies London Metropolitan Archives, a vast repository of London’s history waiting to be discovered by curious Londoners and visitors. Free to visit and open to everyone, this is London’s archive, its memory, preserving the history of the city in millions of photos, maps, books & films.

One of the largest city archives in the world, the collections take in almost every imaginable aspect of life in the metropolis, including one of only six documents signed by Shakespeare, the archive of Eric and Jessica Huntley, activists, campaigners and among the first black British publishers, and records of seismic events in the history of the city, including the Great Fire and the Second World War.

Visit to explore the current exhibition 'Unforgotten Lives - Rediscovering Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous Heritage 1560-1860'. There’s also a busy program of events, talks and workshops, including a book group with a London history focus, a monthly LGBTQ+ salon meeting, walking tours and workshops on deciphering old handwriting and papermaking.

Researchers who want to delve deeper into the collections are well catered for. Whether you want to explore the history of your family, community or local area, research your first blockbuster novel or just browse through millions of old photographs of the city dating back to the 1840s, London Metropolitan Archives is a must visit destination.