The London Archives and Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have announced a unique collaboration that will - for the first time ever - showcase their impressive collections alongside one another.

From summer 2025, the City of London Corporation-owned archives in Clerkenwell will host some of the most popular items from the RIBA Collections, one of the largest architectural collections in the world, alongside the archives’ collections of books, documents, manuscripts, maps, images, and photographs.

The partnership will coincide with the temporary closure in April 2025 of RIBA’s renowned library to enable the refurbishment of RIBA’s London headquarters at 66 Portland Place, as part of its House of Architecture transformation programme.

The collaboration will help ensure that RIBA’s collections currently housed at Portland Place remain accessible to users, and within short distance, during the building’s closure period.

The partnership will allow RIBA to utilise The London Archives’ state-of-the-art conservation and digitisation spaces, ensuring that vital work on conserving rare books and digitising RIBA’s collections continues seamlessly during the refurbishment of 66 Portland Place.

For its part, the London Archives’ most significant documents and collections include the William Charter (c.1067); Magna Carta (1297); a property deed bearing William Shakespeare’s signature (c.1613); maps showing bomb damage to London during the Second World War; and the UK’s largest collection of filmed interviews with people affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1980/1990s.

Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage, and Libraries Committee, Munsur Ali, said:

“Not only will this unique partnership offer continued access to RIBA’s collections, it also represents a valuable opportunity to create new possibilities for research, learning, and public programming that showcases the richness of these collections.

“The team at The London Archives - arguably, one of the jewels in the City Corporation’s crown - is looking forward to working with RIBA and providing a warm welcome to its many library users next year.”

Executive Director of Architecture Programmes & Collections at RIBA, Oliver-Urquhart Irvine, said:

"Our partnership with The London Archives is an exciting step towards ensuring that our invaluable collections are as widely accessible and well-cared for as possible.

“This collaboration is not only about preserving access to RIBA’s collections while we undertake the transformative refurbishment of 66 Portland Place, but also inspiring new discoveries and connecting more deeply with architectural professionals, researchers, students, and the public – indeed, anyone with an interest in, or passion for, architecture.

“Together, we will unlock exciting opportunities that showcase the dynamic interplay of architecture, history, and culture."

The London Archives is an integral part of the City’s rich and vibrant arts and cultural offering.

The City of London Corporation is one of the largest funders of heritage and cultural activities in the UK and invests over £130m every year. The organisation manages a range of world-class cultural and heritage institutions, including the Barbican Centre, Tower Bridge, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Guildhall Art Gallery, The London Archives, and Keats House. It also supports the London Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of London.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

For further information, please contact Andrew Buckingham, Media Officer (Arts, Culture, and Heritage), City of London Corporation / 07795 333060 / andrew.buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally successful UK. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

About The London Archives (TLA):

The London Archives (TLA), which is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation, is the archive repository for the Greater London area. The documents and books that TLA cares for, and provides access to, date from 1067 to the present day and collections are constantly expanding. The archives are free to use, as are the majority of resources in the public research rooms.

The service became London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) in 1997, a change which followed the transfer of what was the Greater London Record Office (GLRO) to the City of London Corporation, following the abolition and winding up of the Greater London Council. Since then, LMA has grown substantially, as the former GLRO merged with the City of London Records Office and Guildhall Library, bringing together the City of London Corporation's archives with those that document the Greater London area. On 5 August, LMA changed its name to The London Archives.

The London Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London, EC1R 0HB The London Archives | London Archives

The London Archives is open to visitors at the following times:

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 10am - 4.30pm

Wednesday 10am - 7pm

Saturdays One Saturday per month

NB: Closed on Bank Holidays - check the website for full details

About the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow @RIBA on X/Twitter for updates. 

About the RIBA Collections

Bringing together over four million items, the RIBA Collections represent a unique body of architectural knowledge that span thousands of architects, hundreds of years and dozens of nations. From 15th century books and drawings to models and photographs documenting architecture around the world today, the collections represent a shared history and narrative that describes how buildings, communities and civilisations are designed and constructed.

* Accessing the RIBA Collections during the closure of 66 Portland Place

The RIBA Library service will close at 66 Portland Place on 10 April 2025 to enable removal and transfer of  the materials to their new temporary home at The London Archives. RIBA Collections is working to keep periods of full closure to a minimum across the transition period, although there will inevitably be times when resources are unavailable – up-to-date information about the closure will be published on RIBA’s website: architecture.com

From Summer 2025, some of the material currently available at the RIBA Library will need to be ordered/retrieved from The London Archives’ strongrooms, rather than browsed. The arrangements for requesting items will be made public prior to the launch of RIBA’s partnership with London Archives. RIBA Library users are always encouraged to make contact in advance to make sure the material they wish to use is available.

Some material from RIBA Collections’ stores at 66 Portland Place will not be stored with The London Archives during the partnership period and will instead be housed at a site in Stockwell, London where access will be made available by appointment. This will include books and the Robert Elwall Photographs Collection. Between this site and The London Archives, this means that the whole of RIBA’s Collections now housed at 66 Portland Place will be accessible to users while the building is closed for refurbishment.