Lambeth Archives
Lambeth Archives hold documents relating to the present London Borough of Lambeth, the former Metropolitan Borough of Lambeth and also papers for the areas of Wandsworth that the 'new' borough includes.
| Authority | London Borough of Lambeth |
| Location | Minet Library, 52 Knatchbull Road, Brixton SE5 9QY. See map |
| Membership/ID | None required |
| Photocopy policy | Permissive; pay-per-copy. 5p per A4 sheet |
| Camera policy | Permissive; £2 charge per visit |
What is held here
Lambeth Council has, because of its entirely built-up location, never been prone to propose many new roads. The road-related collection at the Archive is therefore very small. However, in general it is a well-maintained and indexed library and finding information is relatively easy, so what they do have is quite simple to access.
A partial index is on the website in PDF format.
How to use it
The Archive serves the whole of Lambeth but is tucked away at the Minet Library, a local lending library in a fairly rough part of Brixton. It's a good 15-20 minutes' walk from Brixton tube so keep your head down and walk fast! Alternatively you could take a bus north from Brixton town centre (3, 59, 133, 159 etc) and get off at Loughborough Road to take the first ten minutes of the journey.
Coats and bags should be dropped off in the lockers provided (behind a staff-only door which you are invited to go through alone). There is a visitor book to sign, asking your address and the purpose of your visit.
The library has card indexes of its contents and also its extensive photographic collection, which includes many 20th century street scenes. The simplest way to find much of the content is by using the red index folders, which list file-by-file the items in the collection, organised by category and reference number. The four binders covering the London Borough of Lambeth are particularly informative, with categories covering the various engineering and town planning departments and directorates.
Items are ordered on a pink slip and retrieved immediately.
Camera and photocopy use is very simple; for cameras a simple copyright form must be completed and signed, and a flat fee of £2 gives you the freedom to take as many pictures as you like, including of books in the reference collection stacked around the archive reading room.
Items found here
See the files held here.
Nearby facilities
- Croydon Local Studies Library is at the other end of the 250 bus route.
- Wandsworth Local History Service
