Opening Times
When to visit us
Visit The London Archives to view original archive documents, attend events, see our exhibitions or use our computers and other resources.
Opening times
- Monday: 10am - 4.30pm
- Tuesday: 10am - 4.30pm
- Wednesday: 10am - 7pm
- Thursday: 10am - 4.30pm
Saturday opening days
The London Archives is open one Saturday a month from 10am - 4.30pm.
2024 Saturday opening dates:
- 14 December
2025 open Saturdays:
- 11 January
- 8 February
- 12 April
- 10 May
- 14 June
- 12 July
- 9 August
- 13 September
- 11 October
- 22 November
- 13 December
The London Archives is free to visit. If you want to view original archive documents, you will need a History Card. You do not need a History Card to attend events or visit our exhibition, or to use our computers, the mediatheque or the open shelves of the library.
Closures
We always close on bank holidays.
The London Archives will be closing for Christmas at 4.30pm on Monday 23 December. We reopen at 10am on Thursday 2 January 2025.
2025 closures:
- 1 January
- 18 April
- 21 April
- 5 May
- 26 May
- 25 August
- 25 December
- 26 December
Next year The London Archives will be shut for our annual closure for two weeks in November. We will be closed from 4.30 on Thursday 29 October and will reopen on Monday 17 November 2025 at 10am.
Ordering archive documents
- Please order documents in advance online whenever possible. If you order in advance, your documents will be waiting for you when you arrive
- On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays you can order additional documents on the hour between 11am and 3pm. On Wednesdays you can order between 11am and at 4pm. A maximum of 10 items can be ordered per collection
- Orders for items to be viewed on Saturdays must be made in advance. All orders must be made by 12 noon on the Friday before at the very latest
- If you have obtained permission to see closed records, please contact the enquiry team to order these records in advance of your visit
- Please note that some of our collections are stored off site and require notice before we can make them available, which is indicated on our catalogue
Frequently Asked Questions