Home » Local History
Local History Library and Archives
Follow us
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archive
Bancroft Library
277 Bancroft Road, London E1 4DQ
Local History: 020 7364 1290
Fax: 020 7364 1292
email: localhistory@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Registration
All users are required to register with the service on their first visit. Please ensure you bring a form of ID providing proof of your permanent address.
Opening hours
|
Monday |
Closed |
|
Tuesday |
10 - 5 |
|
Wednesday |
9 - 5 |
|
Thursday |
9 - 8 |
|
Friday |
Closed |
|
Saturday (fortnightly, see below) |
9 - 5 |
|
Sunday |
Closed |
Local History Saturday Opening Dates:
12 November and 26 November 2011
10 December and 24 December 2011
7 January and 21 January 2012
4 February and 18 February 2012
3 March, 17 March and 31 March 2012
14 April and 28 April 2012
12 May and 26 May 2012
9 June and 23 June 2012
Disabled access
We regret that there is no wheelchair access to the first floor reading room. Mobility-impaired users may view the collections in the ground floor education room by appointment - please call 0207 634 1290 or email localhistory@towerhamlets.gov.uk. On arrival, please press the buzzer as indicated and the entrance doors will open automatically.
Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience. Funding has been made available for a new accessible lift which will be installed in 2012.
Room Hire
Exhibition Hall - £50 per hour
Ground Floor Education Room - £25 per hour, includes use of projector, tables and 30 chairs.
There is a 50% discounted rate on room hire charges for charities, community and voluntary
groups in Tower Hamlets. For further information visit the Local History Library Room Hire web page.
Local History Library
- Local History Exhibitions
- Over 20,000 books and pamphlets dating from the 17th century to the present day
- Shipping Collection
- Cuttings Collection which includes newspaper articles and printed ephemera
- 25,000 photographs and illustrations
- Digital Picture Gallery
- Over 2,000 maps and plans dating from Elizabethan times to the present day
- Online exhibitions
- Microfilms including local census returns from 1841 to 1891, local newspapers, parish registers and trade directories
- Audio-Visual Collections
Archives
'Summary Guide to the Archive Collection' is available in a PDF format [33.03KB] [10 pages]
While there are substantial holdings of archives relating to the borough, much of Tower Hamlets material is deposited elsewhere (notably at the Greater London Record Office).
- Local authority records dating from the 16th century, including minutes, rate books and correspondence files
- Over 8,000 deeds recording the transfer of properties in the borough
- Documents relating to many local institutions
- A selection of digitised documents available online
Services
- Handlists relating to various types of records held are available on request
- Photocopying is allowed for much of the collection depending on copyright and physical condition
- Photographic copies, subject to copyright, can be obtained; sizes and prices available on request
- An extensive range of informative publications are available for sale
- Local Societies Details of the East London History Society, the East of London Family History Society and other local organisations, are available on request.
We cannot, however, undertake detailed genealogical research on behalf of enquirers. Details of professional record agents can be obtained by contacting the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives.
