Archives advice

To find archives material

Our records are spread over two catalogues, both of which should be searched.

1. National Archives’ Discovery catalogue:

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ (Tip: If you filter your search results by: Lewisham, you will limit your search to records we hold).

2. Local archives records on the Lewisham Council website at:

https://www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/history/Pages/archive-catalogue.aspx

Tip: Control + F pops up a searchable textbox on the screen. Enter simple keyword then click Next to move through the pdf file contents. Your keyword is highlighted each time it appears in the file.

We understand that searching catalogues is not always easy, so please contact us if you need help.

To order archive material

All archive material must be ordered in advance. Please email us a list of the archive references of the items you wish to consult. We require ten standard working days’ notice (not Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday) to retrieve archive documents for viewing, and we generally set a limit of twenty items per visit (depending on their size). Once we have processed your request, we will contact you again to make an appointment at a mutually convenient time. Please note that we do not make appointments until we have retrieved the material. If there is a problem or delay, we will contact you.