Local History and Archives Centre

​The Local History and Archives Centre holds historic materials for the borough of Lewisham and is situated in Lewisham Library.

Opening hours

LHAC closes for lunch 12.45-2.15pm

Lewisham Local History and Archives Centre will be closing for 2 weeks in December for its annual stocktaking. The Centre will be closed for the 2 weeks from Monday 5th December.

We can help you to discover:

• the history of the borough
• the history of houses in the borough (when they were built, and who lived there)
• the history of an area within the borough, for a school project or for general interest
• your family history (ancestors in Lewisham, or general information)
• local information on specific topics (for example, famous people who have lived in the borough).

Please contact us before your visit, to check that we have the material you want to see, or for advice on your project. Archive material is available by appointment only. You are advised to contact us in advance of your visit to arrange for material to be made available and to book a study time.

The material we hold is in many cases irreplaceable, so it must be treated with great care. You will need to leave any large bag in a locker, and to use a pencil rather than a pen for making notes from archives. Food and drink must not be consumed anywhere in the library, and particularly not in the local history and archives centre.

The area we cover

The London Borough of Lewisham includes the ancient parishes of St Margaret, Lee and St Mary, Lewisham, also the parish of St Paul, Deptford (the ancient parish of Deptford was divided in 1730 into the parishes of St Nicholas and St Paul. The parish of St Nicholas is now in the London Borough of Greenwich).

The borough also includes the following districts: Bellingham, Beckenham (part), Blackheath (part), Brockley, Catford, Crofton Park, Downham, Forest Hill, Grove Park, Hatcham, Hither Green, Ladywell, New Cross, Southend, Sydenham.

This area was in the county of Kent until 1889 when the London County Council was formed. The exception was the Hatcham/New Cross area of Deptford, which was in Surrey.

Deptford was in the Greenwich Registration District. Lee and Lewisham were in the Lewisham Registration District.

Facilities

• Research services.
• Photocopying and photographic copies.
• Separate room for group/class visits.
• Microfilm and microfiche readers and printers.
• Occasional talks and lectures.
• Local history publications sold.
• Toilets are available in Lewisham library (wheelchair-accessible) and baby changing facilities for male and female readers, and a baby feeding room.

Photocopying

Copying is permitted at staff discretion where the copying process will not damage original material.

• black and white A4: 10p
• black and white A3: 15p
• colour A4: 50p
• colour A3: £1
• microfilm copies: 30p.

There are four microprinter-readers on which copies can be made from film and fiche at a cost of 30 pence. It is advisable to book appointments to use the machines as demand can be high at busy times - please contact us in advance using the contact details below.

Scanning of photographs

A photographic and scanning service is available. Reproduction fees are charged, but may be waived in the case of non-commercial organisations. Please contact the department for further details.

• £5 per image, which can either be emailed or on a CDROM. Postage of the CDROM costs a further 50p.

Talks and lectures

We can give talks and lectures to local groups at the centre or elsewhere. We have a repertoire of standard talks and these are usually illustrated with slides. Where talks are given at the centre, other material from the collections can be used to illustrate them. Due to limitations we can only give one talk a year to any one group. 

A group requesting a talk outside our standard range will need to give us six months' notice. We are only able to give talks when staffing levels permit. We can bring a carousel projector, but it is helpful if groups can provide a screen or white wall.

All cheques should be drawn on a UK bank, made out in pounds sterling to 'London Borough of Lewisham'. Credit cards and electronic payments cannot be handled at present.