Welcome to London Metropolitan
Archives, where the capital’s past comes to life. These pages
offer an insight into the extraordinary range of archives we
hold, with practical advice on making the most of a visit to
LMA, and a database of our most popular genealogical sources.
If you are interested in London or Londoners, LMA is the place
to explore!
Explore your
family history using the London Generations database and our
online family research service.
Building works complete!
We are delighted
to be fully open again, after several months of
building works.
To find out more please visit our
building works page. In the meantime, welcome back,
and good luck with all your research!
The archives held at LMA are
designated as a collection of national and international
importance. To find out more
visit our collections pages.
LMA and Guildhall Library are about to undertake a large scale
digitisation programme. Visit our
digitisation page to discover more.
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Collections
information
-
Records and
archives - access
- Records will be made available to the public for research
during the advertised opening hours of the record office and in
accordance with the search room rules.
-
Records
and archives - enquiries
- The council keeps archives of documents relating to the local
area. These may include parish registers, maps and plans, council
minutes and other historic documents providing an insight into the
history of the area. Visitors are usually able to make enquiries of
the archives in person (online or by visiting the archive office)
or using a research service provided by the council for which a
charge is normally made.
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Records
and archives - information and advice
- Archives are original documents produced by official bodies,
societies and individuals that are no longer in current use. The
council may provide a way for local residents and business to view
their archives, often in a local library.
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Records
and archives - loans, donations bequests and sales
- Information of local interest which is available for viewing by
the community are often donated, bequeathed or loaned to the
records office by local residents and historians. The local
authority should have a standard agreement which is used to details
terms of the loan or donation.
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Records and archives
- withdrawals
- A depositor may permanently withdraw their records at any time,
provided notice is given to the Record Office. During this period
of notice, the Council reserves the right to copy the records and
to make these copies available for private research