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

The Special Collections & Archives is open on an appointment-only basis. Our Library will remain closed.

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.

#FROMTHE ARCHIVES

Married in 1950, Chris and Betty Birch have been involved in political, trade union, and LGBTQ+ activism for over 60 years. Sharing similar interests, they were both Communist Party Members and involved with organisations such as the Aid to Spanish Youth Committee. After the death of his friend, Mark Ashton, Chris became involved in forming the Mark Ashton Memorial Trust, which was created to raise money for individuals living with HIV. The archive includes the truncheon taken from the police by Mark Ashton, correspondence, personal scrapbooks, press cuttings, and various other papers relating to the couples activism.