Order original documents in advance
We understand that our users’ time for research can be limited,
so we do everything we can to make your visit to London
Metropolitan Archives go as smoothly as possible. One key part of
this is minimising the time you have to wait to see documents
ordered from the strongrooms. LMA runs an exceptionally fast
service in this area: the average wait is no more than 20 minutes,
and frequently much less. But it is possible to reduce your wait
further by ordering documents in advance.
Many users need to look at the lists in our Reference Room
before they know what documents they should order. However, more
and more of LMA’s lists are available online:
Using document references from these databases, you can submit
your request for documents by filling in the boxes below. If you do
this at least one working day before your visit, your documents
will be ready from 10am on the day you specify (for example, you
should place your order on Monday to reserve documents for
Wednesday). Please note that Saturday and Sunday are not classed as
a working days, so orders for a Monday must be placed on the
preceding Thursday at the latest. When you arrive at LMA you can
carry on ordering documents in person.
We are currently able to process requests for over 400,000
documents through this system. If the document you require is not
in the system, you will be able to email your request to us. Our
staff will not contact you directly unless there is a problem with
your order, and only if your order was made more than one working
day before your intended visit.
Some things to remember:
All references on London Generations which begin with an
‘X’ are self-service microfilms, and do not need to be
ordered.
Some references on A2A are for multiple
documents, eg St.BG/SP/40/1-23 is for
23 separate items, and you must use a separate box
to order each of your fifteen preferred items in advance. Please
note that document reference numbers need to be precise. If the
system does not recognise your reference number, it may be because
you are not using the correct number of leading zeros or separators
(/). If you are absolutely sure that the reference is correct but
the system will not recognise it, please submit your order with a
comment and our staff will check it on your behalf. Please note
that you must provide a comment, making it
absolutely clear which document you are referring to. While
we will do our utmost to fulfil your order, we cannot guarantee to
produce documents with references which are not recognised by the
system.
A total of 15 advance items per person can be ordered for any
day. Any additional orders will not be
processed.
You will receive an automatic response to your advance order to
confirm that your request has been received and can be fulfilled.
Our staff will not contact you directly unless there is a problem
with your order, and only if your order was made more than one
working day before your intended visit.
If an unexpected problem arises with a previously placed order
with less notice than one full working day, you will be informed of
this on your arrival at LMA. A typical problem might be that the
document you want to see is so large it requires more than one
member of staff to move it! Please note that such problems
are extremely rare.
Place an order here.