Film and video collection

Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives holds over two hundred films and videos on a wide range of local topics. This collection includes commercially released DVDs and VHS tapes, as well as hours of rare and unique footage of the borough. Strengths include:

The Jewish East End
The Isle of Dogs and the development of London Docklands
Community organisations of the 1980s and 1990s
Migrant experiences of life in Tower Hamlets

In addition our oral history collection includes a number of video interviews with Tower Hamlets residents, and you can explore books, pamphlets, serials, news cuttings and ephemera in the Local History Library relating to film at the following classmarks:

770 Photography, films
770.1 Film groups and camera clubs
770.2 Films with local settings

Most of our films and videos are kept in special storage conditions at London Metropolitan Archives in partnership with London’s Screen Archive. Reference copies of many titles are available to view in our reading room. A growing number of these are digitised and available online via:

Our YouTube channel also includes recordings of past events and exhibitions.

How to search for films and videos

To search our catalogued films and videos:

Go to our online catalogue and select Advanced search from the right-hand panel
Select ‘Video’ from the Type field and hit Search
The results page will show you a list of films and videos on our catalogue, however you can refine your results combining the Type ‘Video’ with other keywords (for example ‘Isle of Dogs’, ‘Music’)
Click on a record to view further details about the item
If it is available to view online this will be recorded in the Notes field, otherwise you can ask a member of staff to view it in the reading room

Collection highlights

Before 1960

The Methodist Church in Tower Hamlets. The Bow Mission 'London's East End' : silent film footage of the work 1935-39. LC14661.
Carol Reed. A kid for two farthings. 1955. LC10515.
Stephen Hearst. The more we are together. 1958. LC10521.
Chris Dorley-Brown. BBC in the East End 1958-1973. 1959-2007. LC10523.

1960s

Robert Vas. The vanishing street. 1962. Included on LC10513.
Joan Littlewood. Sparrows can't sing. 1963. LC14711.
Rainbow Youth Club (East End Mission). [ca. 1964]. LC15148.
Richard Marquand. Women, women, women : a series looking at women in Britain today, their lives and attitudes. 1966. LC10522.

1970s

Ivor Dunkerton. Man alive Vince, Paul, Lawrence and Richard. [1971]. LC10519.
Jenny Barraclough. Alright we'll do it ourselves. [1972]. LC13417.
Steve Charles. Count the weeks. 1975. LC10921.
Fly a flag for Poplar. [1975?]. LC10526.
Maggie Pinhorn. THAP Basement Writers lunchtime show. 1976. LC15150.
Goodbye Longfellow Road. [1977]. LC10517.
Tower Hamlets Carnival (1979). 1979. LC15049.

1980s

Joanna Davis and Mary Pat Leece. Bred and born. LC10516.
Island History Trust. The early history of the Isle of Dogs. 1983. LC15062.
George Green's Centre. A day at the Mudchute. 1984. LC15056.
Island Art Centre. Dogs life. Issue 1. 1984. LC15080.
Island Art Centre. Dogs life 2. 1985. LC15059.
Island Art Centre. Dogs life 3. 1985. LC15058.
Chris Lilly. Stepping Stones Farm. [1985]. LC15060.
Maria Roberts and Howard Porter. East of the City. 1986. LC15063.
Mari Taylor. From Vietnam to the Isle of Dogs. 1986. LC15064.
Juliet McKoen. A day in the night : a portrait of Spitalfields Market. 1988. LC15083.
Springboard Education. La Boheme to Gardiners : the sights and sounds of the Jewish East End. 1989. LC15071.
Springboard Education Trust. Troxy to Aldgate Pump : the sights and sounds of the Jewish East End. 1989. LC15073.

1990s

Afia Khatun. Free for all : Teviot Estate. [1991]. LC15072.
South Poplar and Limehouse Action for Secure Housing. The other side of Docklands. 1991. LC15075.
Mark Jay. East endings. 1993. LC10518.
Springboard Education Trust. The villages of Stepney. 1995. LC15077.
Jim Connor. East London's lost stations. 1999. LC15089.

2000-present

Chinese National Healthy Living Centre. Whispers of time : oral histories of London's Chinese : memories of migration and settlement. 2005. LC14528.
Beyond Brick Lane : Bengali reflections on today's East End. 2007. LC10527.
Shane Davey. 14th floor : the history of social housing in Tower Hamlets. 2010. LC14663.
Walking proud in East London. 2011. LC14660.
Lucy Preston. Island girls. [ca. 2015]. LC14527.
William Raban. 72-82. 2015.
Adam Keelan. British Bangladeshis. 2020. LC15043.

Film and video collections held elsewhere

Other film and video collections featuring Tower Hamlets include:

Most have a selection of videos available online via their websites or on their YouTube channels.