Getting Around at The London Archives

We welcome everyone who wants to use our collections, attend events or visit an exhibition and want all our visitors to feel comfortable and included.

This detailed guide takes you through our building describing the surroundings at every point and highlighting the aspects which may impact accessibility.

The London Archives building is located on Northampton Road which is wide but quiet. It faces the Spa Fields Park. The building next-door is a bar called Bourne and Hollingsworth.

There are banners over the archive entrance which can be seen as you approach the building.

Entrance

The entrance to the building, is slightly recessed. It is power-assisted and can be operated by a push-button to the right of the door. The button is easily accessible by someone using a wheelchair.

The door is 80cms wide and opens outwards. There is no step.

Immediately inside our entrance area is an upholstered chair. The lift is about two metres from the front door.

The Welcome Point desk is straight-ahead. There are three wide steps, with handrails on both sides, between front door and the desk.

A member of our team is seated behind the desk, ready to help and answer questions. There is a hearing induction loop at the reception desk. You do not need to walk up the steps. If needed our Archive Officer will come to you to greet you.

You will be asked to sign a register of visitors, and if you are a new visitor, you will be briefed about leaving coats and bags in our lockers which are in the Visitor Lounge on the Mezzanine level.

Going Up to the Mezzanine

By Lift

There is step-free access to the lift from the entrance to the archive.

The lift has a door width of 75cms. The lift call button is to the left of the doors.

Once inside the lift, control buttons are at waist height on the right in the direction of entry. There is sufficient space for most wheelchairs and one additional person. The dimensions of the lift car are 110cms wide by 135cms.

To reach the Visitor Lounge press Button “M” (for Mezzanine). Most of our visitors will need to call here to deposit their coats and bags.

By Stairs

The Mezzanine can also be reached by 18 steps. There are handrails on both sides of the steps.

To reach the stairs, continue past the reception desk and turn right. At the top of the stairs is an unassisted door which opens towards you and is of medium weight.

Mezzanine Floor: Visitor Lounge

The Visitor Lounge houses our lockers and provides a place to take a break, eat and drink. It is a fairly large room and contains:

• A bank of lockers
• Two upholstered chairs with curved backs
• A drinking fountain with disposable paper cups available
• Small, movable tables, chairs, stools and bar tables. These are for visitors who have brought packed lunches or snacks or who have notes to write up.

Vacant lockers will have a key hanging from the door and are free to use. The locker size is 50 cms by 22cms, similar to airline carry-on bags. Some are near to floor level and some at chest height. Please speak to our staff about any larger items or if you need help to access the lockers.

If you want to use the Archive Study Area to consult original documents, there are clear carrier bags available for you to use to carry your permitted, essential items (pencil, notebook, laptop or device, camera).

Going Up to the First Floor

The first floor houses our exhibitions, the Huntley Room events space, Information Area, the Mediatheque, the library and the Archives Study Area. The toilets are also on this floor.

By Lift

Return to the lift and select Button 1 for the first floor

By Stairs

There are 16 stairs (with handrails and two landings) and one, unassisted door which opens outwards at the top.

First Floor: Exhibition Area, Archives Study Area, Information Area, Huntley Room and Toilets (Including Accessible Toilet)

Exhibitions

These are held in the area where you enter the floor (from the lift or stairs) and in the Information Area. The exhibitions are always available to visit while the building is open.

The exhibitions contain items from the archive on a particular theme or to do with a particular anniversary.

Our exhibitions usually feature a presentation of images and texts. Archive items of all different sizes will be displayed with descriptions and explanatory notes. These might be positioned close together in display cases or at various wall display heights. Lighting levels are usually low to protect the archive items from damage.

A large print edition of the exhibition guide, which includes captions, is available to use in the exhibition space. Please Contact us find out more about audio captioning, and subtitling within individual exhibitions, or any other details.

The main exhibition space is not large and if a school party or other group is visiting the exhibition it might feel crowded. It is also not a quiet space, and visitors are encouraged to talk and discuss the displays.

Where possible, seating is made available in the main exhibition space. If you need to take a break from the exhibition, further seating is available nearby in the Information Area.

Toilet facilities

Beside the exhibition space and to the left as you exit the lift are the toilets. A door (opening away from you, width 80cms, no power assistance but not heavy), leads to a small lobby and further doors for:

Male toilets (left)

Female toilets (right)

A non-gender specific accessible toilet (straight ahead)

The accessible toilet has a door width of 75 cms. The door opens outward and is not power assisted. Within the cubicle, the effective manoeuvring space is 120 by 110cms. There is a right-hand toilet transfer, grab rails and emergency cord.

The Huntley Room: Events, Classes and Meetings

Most of our events, classes and meetings are held in The Huntley Room. You can reach it via a short corridor from the Exhibitions Space.

The Huntley Room is accessed by a doorway which is 80cms wide. If needed the door can be opened up further to a width of 130cms. The door, which opens towards you, is usually propped open shortly before the start of events.

The room is bright and spacious and has chairs and tables which can all be moved.

The room is carpeted. There are overhead strip lights and spotlights and natural light through the large windows. Sometimes however the room will be darkened for slides or films etc.

Information Area

The Information Area is separated from the Exhibition Area by large glass walls.

There is a manual door to enter the Information Area which is set in an open position during the day.

An enquiries desk is straight-ahead as you enter the room and members of The London Archives team are here to answer questions about the library, our online and family history resources or about the use of the archive collections and library.

History Cards are issued and renewed at this desk. Find out more about History Cards

There is an induction loop facility at this desk.

The left-hand side of the room has numerous computer terminals and the right-hand side is where our reference library is situated on open-access shelves. There is a soft seating area available beside the library. This is a quiet space.

Mediatheque

This is accessed through the Information Area and is where you can explore our maps, film, audio and graphics collection and discover resources to support these collections. More about the Mediatheque

Archive Study Area

The Archive Study Area is where original documents can be viewed and used for research.

It is accessed through the Information Area. The door to enter the Archive Study Area is 160 cm wide. It opens by pushing a green, automatic door release button.

As you enter this area there is an enquires desk ahead, slightly to the right. It has a hearing loop facility.

This area is very bright with a large window area and generous gangways. Although generally very quiet it has the feel of a large public office space with hard flooring.

The tables are not adjustable but staff can assist with various foam book rests and supports to create a workspace suitable for most people. There are a variety of chairs available, some are rigid, and some are adjustable and swivel.

Leaving The London Archives

When you have finished your work, or need a break from your research, please return any documents or research aids you have used.

If you are planning on coming back soon and would like to use the documents again, please discuss this with Archive Study Area team, they may be able to hold the documents for you until your next visit.

If you are leaving the archives for the day, please do not forget to take everything out of your locker

In the Surrounding Area

We are lucky in that Clerkenwell offers a great variety of cafes and other refreshment options in the vicinity of the archive. Our guide to Enjoying Our Local Area describes the many options that you can explore.

If you have particular access or dietary requirements, please speak to our team. We know our local area well and will be able to suggest options which should meet your needs.

Our team will always try their best to help you during your visit and will be glad of your suggestions for improvements. We hope that you enjoy your visit.