London Metropolitan Archives

There is no longer any shortcut URL to the London Metropolitan Archives, so click on Leisure and Heritage, then Libraries, Archives, Museums and Galleries, and finally on the LMA link. Formerly the Greater London Records Office, the LMA houses an extraordinarily broad collection. It really is true to say that all of London life is here, from religion to the law, from schools to businesses, and from housing to hospitals. The photograph collection alone contains two million images. Many of the original parish registers from London churches are held here.

SPECIAL FEATURES

What Records Do We Hold explains a little of what is contained in the collection's 31 miles of archives.

Online Galleries hosts a changing selection from LMA's collection of visual materials. You can also follow a link to the European Visual Archive (EVA), a joint project that is putting many images from the collection online.
London Generations The most useful addition to this site is a database compiled from genealogical sources held at the LMA, so you can now check in advance if they hold the particular material you are looking for, and make a note of the call numbers. This means that if you are planning a visit you do not have to spend valuable research time at the archives searching for these. (Note: it can be helpful to know which modern London borough the location your target falls within when using the database).

Information Leaflets leads to a growing list of downloadable fact sheets for which you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available on the spot.

Visitor Information has a Contact the Enquiry Team link that gives details of the various ways of accessing the archive, and the knowledgeable team available to help you. Simple queries are answered for free, but for anything that requires consulting the records, the services of the research staff are available for more complex searches for a charge. You can now apply online or print an application form.