Discover highlights in our archives, images and library
Read our collections guides through links from this page and plan your research.
Explore topics relating to London’s East End including:
- Tracing your family history: beginner, intermediate and advanced topics
- Maps, deeds, electoral registers and taxation records
- Built environment
- Migration and communities including sources on African Caribbean Black, Jewish, Chinese and Bengali presence. Also topics on sexuality and gender identity.
- Schools and Education
- Health and welfare including workhouses
- Council and predecessor records. These cover many aspects affecting lives, organisations and landscapes in Tower Hamlets
- Places of worship
- Social life and sports
- Women
- Library sources including special collections, newspapers and local authors and literature
- Campaigning and politics
- Tower Hamlets in World War I
- Film, video, music and sound
Our guides include
- Highlights from extensive descriptions on our catalogue. Search the online catalogue using our reference codes given in these guides. Use our Library Classification Scheme and Subject Guide to help you navigate library and image collections
- Research tips
- Key sources elsewhere
Help us to improve the guides
The guides represent the best of our collection knowledge. Give us your feedback to help future researchers. Email localhistory@towerhamlets.gov.uk.