Bishopsgate Institute’s London Collections contain around 150,000 books and pamphlets on the social and cultural history of London, along with 2,000 maps and around 500,000 photographs. The Collection is particularly strong on the Bishopsgate and Spitalfields area.

The London archives hold an extensive collection of press cuttings about the area around the Institute dating from 1740. We also offer one of the country's finest collections of London guidebooks and trade directories.

The other Special Collections and Archives on London history include organisations, such as the London History Workshop or the Eton Manor Boys' Club, and also archives of individuals, such as historian Raphael Samuel, police officer Frederick Wensley or Lord Mayor Sir Ralph Perring.

The Institute's own history is held in the Bishopsgate Institute archive, along with information about prominent individuals connected to our organisation, including social reformer William Rogers, librarian Charles Goss and architect Charles Harrison Townsend.