About the Local Studies Collection

The Local Studies Collection is based at the Old Town Hall, Richmond and provides access to material relating to the history of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It contains the collections previously held by the former boroughs of Barnes, Richmond and Twickenham.

In the collection

The collection contains a variety of material including:

• A large number of general books and pamphlets.
• Microfilm files of local newspapers from 1854.
• Maps from 1635 to date.
• Files of locally produced publications such as church magazines, works of local authors and annual reports of local societies.
• Photographs of the local area from Victorian times to the present.
• An extensive collection of prints and drawings.
• A unique collection of playbills for Richmond Theatre.

Download the Local studies - collections policy leaflet(pdf, 50KB)

Family history resources

The Local Studies collection holds many resources for researching family history. These include parish records, hardback copies of the census from 1841-1901 and local authority records.

Facilities for study

The Local Studies Collection has study places and reader printers for viewing and making copies from microfilm and fiche.

Some of the collection, mostly books and pamphlets, is available on open access, but the rest is in storage and must be requested from the staff. Most material is easily accessible, but some is stored in a remote location and will require several days notice to make available. Visitors requiring specific material can contact Local Studies in advance of their visit to ensure that the material they require will be available.

Computer facilities

The Local Studies Collection has computers offering free access to the Internet, Office software and Ancestry Online.