Special Collections and Archives

The Special Collections and Researcher’s Area will be closed in December for our annual stocktake. We will be closing at 5pm on Friday 29 November 2024 and will reopen at 10am on Thursday 2 January 2025. For any urgent enquiries during this period, please email: library@bishopsgate.org.uk , and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Bishopsgate Institute Special Collections and Archives document the experiences of everyday people, and the extraordinary individuals and organisations who have strived for social, political, and cultural change.

Visit

We operate a Special Collections and Archives Researchers’ Area.

Collections

Browse our collections, ranging from London History, to Photographic Collections, and the UK Leather and Fetish Archive.

Search the catalogue

View our online catalogue, which allows researchers from all over the world to consult our renowned collections.

About

Since the archive opened to the public in 1895 it has been steadily growing. Find out more about us and how you can add to the archives.

Stories

Explore more stories from our Archives, and learn about the lives behind the objects.

Our archives online

We have digitised some of the most frequently researched and significant material from our collections.

Support our Archives

We are a charity, and we receive no funding for updating, cataloguing and preserving our archives. If you’d like to help us continue this essential work, please consider making a donation.

Support Bishopsgate Institute