London Archives and Libraries

Archives
London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road City of London EC1R 0HB UK Telephone: 020 7332 3820 E-mail: [mailto:ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk 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.

City of Westminster Archives Centre 10 St Ann's Street London SW1P 2DE UK Telephone: 020 76415180 Email: [mailto:archives@westminster.gov.uk archives@westminster.gov.uk] Website Researching family history at the Archives Centre Parish Registers Non-conformist and Catholic records

c/o London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road London EC1R 0HB, UK E-mail:enquiries@archivesforlondon.org Website London for Researchers Guide 2017 List of archives throughout London with links.
 * Archives for London
 * 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.

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 E-mail: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).

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: [mailto:historic.collections@bromley.gov.uk 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: [mailto:archives@bexley.gov.uk 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.

Hertfordshire
Barnet Local Studies Centre The Burroughs Hendon London NW4 4BQ UK Telephone: 020 8359 3960 Email: [mailto:library.archives@barnet.gov.uk library.archives@barnet.gov.uk] Website
 * Barnet was part of Hertfordshire until 1963.

Libraries
Libraries in London

Guildhall Library Aldermanbury London EC2V 7HH UK Telephone: 20 7332 1868/1870 Email: [mailto:guildhall.library@cityoflondon.gov.uk guildhall.library@cityoflondon.gov.uk] Website Family history Parish registers Online catalogue
 * Guildhall Library holds parish records for the ancient city of London.

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

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

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

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

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.