Special Collections and Archives

Our online catalogue is currently inaccessible due to technical issues. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and are working to fix it as soon as possible. If you have any urgent queries relating to our Special Collections and Archives, please drop us an email at library@bishopsgate.org.uk or for more information about our holdings, consult our Collections pages at: https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/collections

The Special Collections & Archives Researchers’ Service will be closed from Monday 4 December until January 2024 for our annual stocktake. The service will resume when the Institute reopens in the new year.

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

We operate a Special Collections and Archives Researchers’ Area.

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.

Support our Archives

We are a charity, and we receive no funding for updating, cataloguing and preserving our archives. If you’d like to help us continue this essential work, please consider making a donation.

Support Bishopsgate Institute