Looking for Africa: Sources in London Archives at London Metropolitan Archives (LMA)

Extract

This paper is based on a talk given to SCOLMA on the 3 November 2014 by Maureen Roberts, Senior Development Officer and Richard Wiltshire, Senior Archivist Business Archives at London Metropolitan Archives.

This article explores sources on Africa in the collections at London Metropolitan Archives and highlights the strong links London had with the African continent and its people. Particular focus is given to the archives of Standard Chartered Bank, and of Eric and Jessica Huntley, Black publishers and to associated cataloguing and outreach projects the repository has been involved in.

Based in Clerkenwell, London Metropolitan Archives is the largest local authority archive in the United Kingdom and holds over 105 linear shelf kilometres of archives. Managed by the City of London Corporation, London Metropolitan Archives collects records relating to pan-Greater London and the City of London Square mile. London Metropolitan Archives is open to the public as a free service for all including family historians, academics, school children, community and other user groups.