What's Available

Books

The centre has a large collection of books about the history of Islington, including biographies and the works of famous local artists, writers and musicians.

Maps

There are local maps from the Elizabethan period onwards. We have a collection of large scale Ordnance Survey maps covering the 1870s to the present day.

Pictures

The collection includes photographs, slides, prints, drawings and artwork covering all aspects of life in Islington.
A copy service is available. Download the copy and reproduction charges document at the bottom of this page for further information.

Local Newspapers

There are microfilm files of the Islington Gazette from 1856 onwards and of the Holloway Press from 1872, as well as more recent titles.

Cuttings and Ephemera

We keep a large collection of cuttings on Islington related topics from newspapers, journals and books. A range of pamphlets and other items of ephemera are kept here.

Street and Trade Directories

London-wide directories are available from the early 19th century onwards, listing business and some residents' details. 19th and 20th century Post Office London directories are available in book form.
Islington directories from 1852 to 1905 can be viewed on microfilm.

Census Returns

These give details of all residents present in Islington on census night. The census is taken at ten-year intervals and the Local History Centre holds copies of the Islington data from 1841-1901, available on microfilm. Street indexes are available for all of the above years, plus a surname index for the 1851 census.

Registers of Electors

19th century
Registers for the Parliamentary Borough of Finsbury 1873-1885 (including civil parishes of St Mary, Islington, Clerkenwell and St Luke's). Unlike later registers these are arranged alphabetically by surname and under various divisions.
Electoral registers for St Mary, Islington are also available for 1887-1900 (with gaps).

20th century
Post 1900 registers are arranged by wards and streets, and are not indexed by name. Older registers are less comprehensive than later ones, a property qualification was in place until 1918 and women did not have equal voting rights until 1928.

Archives of Predecessor Local Authorities

Prior to 1900, the vestries of St Mary Islington, St James Clerkenwell and St Luke Finsbury administered many of the functions of a modern borough council. In 1900 the vestries were replaced by two new Metropolitan Boroughs of Islington and Finsbury. In 1965 the metropolitan boroughs were combined to form the present London Borough of Islington.

Vestry Minute Books

St Mary Islington from 1662-1900
St James Clerkenwell from 1569-1900
St. Luke Finsbury from 1712-190

Rate Books

Rating records list each house, the ratepayer and the amount paid, street by street. Some are also indexed by street. The earliest Finsbury rate book begins in 1661 and the earliest Islington rate book in 1729.

Workhouse Records

Most of the records in our collection that name workhouse inmates relate to the Clerkenwell Workhouse. Our 18th and 19th century settlement examination books for Clerkenwell Workhouse have been name-indexed.
St Mary and St Luke's Workhouse records focus more on the administration of the workhouse.

Parish Registers

We hold microfilm copies of baptism, marriage and burial registers for St Mary's parish (16th to late 19th centuries). We also have printed copies of the St James Clerkenwell parish registers for 1551-1754.

Records of the Metropolitan Boroughs and London Borough of Islington 

Complete sets of council minutes for Islington and Finsbury are available. Some committee minutes have survived, mainly from the Metropolitan Borough of Islington. Please contact us for details. The Centre also holds a large collection of departmental reports.

Special Collections

Sadler's Wells Theatre
Playbills, prints, photographs, cuttings, books and archive material relating to Sadler's Wells buildings, theatre, opera and ballet performances and management.

Penton Family and Estate Papers
Various papers relating to the Pentonville Estate and the family who owned the land.

Walter Sickert Collection
Letters, sketches, photographs, paintings and engravings by Walter Sickert and Therese Lessore. Some of this material is on loan to the Tate Britain and can be seen at their archive. Click the link on the right, under Useful Websites for more information.

Joe Orton Collection
Books, cuttings, and reproductions of the Islington Library books famously doctored by Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell at their Islington flat.

Dove Brothers Archive
A collection documenting the work of this prominent Islington building firm from the 19th century.

Islington Records in Other Record Offices

Deposited church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are held mainly at the London Metropolitan Archives. For more information click on the link to their site under Useful Websites.

To download an illustrated leaflet featuring all of the above information, click the Local History Centre link below.