National acclaim for city archives

Westminster City Council’s Archives Service (www.westminster.gov.uk/archives) is celebrating after being awarded the Archive Service Accreditation by The National Archives (TNA), becoming one of only three sites in London to receive the honour.

The city archive contains one of the few full sets of General Register Office indexes of births, marriages and deaths from 1837 to the present day, making it an important centre for family history. It has more than four miles of shelves and holds records dating back to 1256. 

Accreditation is a UK-wide quality standard, setting a benchmark to other services. The Westminster archive was recognised for its ‘excellent outreach’ and ‘outstanding collections’ following a six-month inspection period. 

Cllr David Harvey, Westminster City Council, Cabinet Member for Sports and Leisure, said: ‘In Westminster we store some of the most significant records in British history and I’m proud of the access we provide to our residents and visitors who take an interest in history. We are currently undertaking an ambitious education programme complete with public exhibitions. I hope this accreditation will raise the profile of our archives even further and help us to bring the city’s history to life.’

Barking and Dagenham Archives and Local Studies Centre, BT Archives, King’s College London Archives and Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, Portsmouth Library and Archive Service and West Glamorgan Archive Service were awarded the accreditation at the same time. Learn more at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/archive-service-accreditation.

Pictured: Westminster archive treasure: a manuscript from 1595 featuring an illustration of Queen Elizabeth I.