Bishopsgate Institute has collected books, maps, photographs, and a wealth of other materials from London’s history for over 125 years. Our collections have grown to include stories of activism and protest, as well as everyday Londoners. From counter-culture guidebooks to placards and suffragette sashes, we hold the records of organisations that have strived for political and social change. Explore the archives of Bernie Grant, George Howell, Frederick Wensley and more…
Explore the different collections we hold on London history
Who is this tour for?
This tour is for anyone with an interest in London history.
Access information:
This tour goes down into our archive store, and we regret that this tour is not accessible to anyone who uses a wheelchair or who is unable to use steps or stairs.
Need to Know
Meet the guide
Stefan Dickers
Stef is the Special Collections and Archives Manager at Bishopsgate Institute and has been responsible for the development of the Institute's collections on the history of London, protest and activism, and LGBTQ+ Britain. He qualified as an archivist in 2001 and started at Bishopsgate in 2005.
Previous to this, Stef worked in the archives of the London School of Economics and Senate House Library. He will talk at extraordinary length about the collections whenever asked and regularly entertains groups of students, groups and family/local history societies on the wonders they can find in the Special Collections and Archives at the Institute.
What We Do
