Collections

Over forty years ago, Len Garrison, co-founder of Black Cultural Archives, asked the question “Where are our Heroes, Martyrs, and Monuments?”

Since 1981 Black Cultural Archives (BCA) has embarked on the journey to collect and preserve materials that redress the historical balance and representation of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Our archive collection is now one of the most comprehensive collections that document the history and cultural heritage of Black Britain.

Originating as a community archive amassed over many years, the archive has been transformed into a professional archive that meets international quality standards and houses over 50 sq metrics of archival materials across two sites. With the support of Heritage Lottery Fund, archivists and trained volunteers continue to catalogue, contextualise and expand the archive collection. Our unique archive collection differs from conventional, traditional archives as it remains rooted in the community that created it.

View unique exhibits of the collections on our Google Arts and Culture platform.

Visiting the Reading Room and Library at
Black Cultural Archives

Welcome! Our Reading Room and Library are open from Wednesday to Friday. 

Here are our opening times:

  • Wednesday: 12:00 – 17:00 (arrival window: 12:00–14:00)

  • Thursday: 11:00 – 17:00 (arrival window: 11:00–13:00)

  • Friday: 11:00 – 17:00 (arrival window: 11:00–13:00)

How to Book
To visit, please email us at archives@bcaheritage.org.uk with your preferred date(s). We’ll confirm availability as soon as possible.

Before You Email Us
We are a small team and receive a very high volume of enquiries. It could speed up your response if you try these steps first:

  • Explore our online catalogue: https://collections.blackculturalarchives.org  

  • Check our Subject Guides: These might help you identify materials relevant to your research https://blackculturalarchives.org/subject-guides 

  • Prepare Item Identifiers: Once you’ve found items you’d like to view, note their item identifiers (e.g., WONG/2/2) and send it to us in the email. We will have those items prepared for your visit. We do not except subject matters/ titles being sent to us. Let us know if you have any questions about using the catalogue or about our collections (10 items maximum, with some exceptions). 

    Please be advised, we ask for a list of these identifiers to be sent over at least 1 week (7 days) ahead of your appointment. 

Important Information

  • The Reading Room at BCA is a small space with limited capacity.  As such, the booking is intended for one reader.  Should you need a booking for more than one person (i.e. if you intend on bringing a colleague, etc.), please let us know and we will check if we can accommodate for you.  Failure to do so may result in us not being able to accommodate your group. 

  • If you need to cancel, please let us know no later than 48 hours prior to your appointment. The archive is extremely busy, any cancellation would be offered to another eager researcher. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the archive and supporting your research! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

  • SUBJECT GUIDES

    We invite you to explore our comprehensive collection of subject guides, designed to offer an introduction to various themes within our collections. Each guide is meticulously crafted to provide contextual information, along with curated selections from our diverse array of archival materials, and an extensive bibliography to facilitate further research.

    LEARN MORE

  • SEARCH THE COLLECTION

    Our online catalogue contains details of over 3,500 records across 41 collections reflecting the history and presence of African and Caribbean communities in Britain. These include personal papers, organisational records, ephemera, photographs and periodicals, library references and the object collections.

    VIEW CATALOGUE

  • DONATING TO THE ARCHIVE

    Our work aims to fill the gaps in British history to represent a more inclusive history. In order to do so, we actively add to our collection.

    If you have material or a collection that you think we may be interested in, please contact us.

    CONTACT US