Records of the Greater London Council, 1810-1988. Papers of the Architect's Department including the Building Regulations Division, Street Naming Section, District Surveyors, Education Division, Maintenance Division, Engineering Division, Structural Engineer, Historic Buildings Division, Housing and Town Development Branch, Technical Publications, Photograph Library, Plan Registry, Special Works Branch and Technical Policy Division; and papers of the GLC London Community Builders.

Papers of the Director-General's Department, including papers of the Administration Division, Finance Division, Personnel Division, Registry and Dispatch Division, Record Office and Library, Director-General's Board, Public Health and Safety Programme Board, Ceremonial Office, Entertainments Licensing Group, Ethnic Minorities Unit, Housing and Technical Services Committees, Industry and Employment Branch, Intelligence Unit and Policy Study Groups, Judicial Services Section, Majority Party Secretariat, Member's Support Unit, Minority Party Secretariat, Police Committee Support Unit, Professional and General Services Committee, Programme Office, Policy and Resources Group, Public Relations Branch, Public Services and Fire Brigade Department, Planning Transport and Industry Group, Scrutiny Committee, Secretariat, Scientific Services Branch, Town Development Committee and Women's Committee Support Unit. Also Committee agendas, minutes and papers, periodicals, and publications of the Council.

Papers of the London Fire Brigade administrative branch. Papers of the Public Health Engineering Department, including the Rivers Branch and the Solid Waste Management Branch. Papers of the Housing Department, including the Controller of Housing and Technical Services, the Directors of Housing, the Development Branch, Management Branch, Professional Services Branch, Renewals Branch and Thamesmead Branch. Papers of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department including the Design and Technical Policy Branch and the Maintenance Branch.

Papers of the Medical Adviser's Department including the School Health Division, Health and Housing Division, Inspectorate, Mental Deficiency case files and Slum Clearance case files. Papers of the Recreation and Arts Department including papers of the Director of Development and Controller of Operational Services, papers of the General Landscaping Division, Housing Landscaping Division, Thamesmead Landscaping Division, Planning and Strategy Division, Architectural Design and Construction Division, General Practice Surveying Division, Entertainments and Fairs Division, Information and Publicity Division, Sports Division, Grants Branch, Open Space and Recreation Branch, Horticulture Division, Open Air Entertainments Division and Parks Department.

Papers of the Supply Department. Papers of the Transportation and Development Department, including papers of the Controller of Transportation and Development, papers of the Construction Branch, Statutory Division, Local Plans Division, Land Use Section, Programme Management and Resources Branch, Cycling Project Team, Chief Traffic Engineer, Traffic Control Division, Plan Registry, Traffic Management Section, Transport Planning Branch, Environmental Management Division, and Policy and Projects Division. Also Greater London Development Plan files, photographs, technical publications, and Greater London traffic surveys.

Also papers of individual members of the GLC including Ken Livingstone, GLC Leader 1981-1986; Paul Boateng, Chairman of GLC Police Committee, 1981-1986; Sir Horace Cutler, GLC Leader, 1977-1981; papers of staff clubs and societies and non-GLC publications concerning the Council and its work.

Papers of Beatrice Nancy Seear, Baroness Seear of Paddington, [1930]-1997, mainly comprising case studies, reports and memoranda relating to her work with the Runnymeade Industrial Unit, the London Business School Minority Groups, and the Community Relations Commission, as well as material concerning women's employment.

Papers of Ruth Deech, Principal, St Anne's College Oxford and a member of the Inquiry team, relating to the Committee of Inquiry into Equal Opportunities at the Inns of Court School of Law, chaired by Dame Jocelyn Barrow (Barrow Inquiry), 1989-1994. The records do not comprise the official papers of the Inquiry, which are held elsewhere, and do not form a complete set, but they do include the bulk of the material. Most secondary source material collected during the Inquiry, such as information comparing the BVC with other jurisdictions, is not included in the papers but is listed in the Final Report of the Committee. The records consist of terms of reference and background to Inquiry, 1993-1994; direct observations of teaching and assessment, 1993; background information collected by the Inquiry, 1992-1993; information on admissions policy and procedures, 1991-1994; student questionnaire, 1993; information on assessment and review, 1990-1993; information on course content, 1990-1992; documents relating to staff training, 1992-1993; documents relating to student welfare, 1989-1994; collection and analysis of teaching materials, such as course outlines, practical training exercises, instructors' teaching packs, ICSL manuals, and printed material, 1990-1993; consideration of complaints of individual students, 1993; Interim Report of the Committee of Inquiry, 1993; CLE/ICSL response to the Interim Report, [1993]; Final Report of the Committee of Inquiry, 1994.

Papers of Jeremy John Durham (Paddy) Ashdown, [1970]-1999, including material relating to the working of the Liberal Democrat Party (including files on the merger of the Liberal and Social Democratic Parties in 1988), campaigns, and relations with related Liberal groups, such as campaigning within ethnic minorities, the Liberal Youth and Student Office, the Liberal Movement, the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Parties, and Liberal International; material relating to Social and Liberal Democrat and Liberal Democrat conferences, 1989-1993, comprising programmes, agenda and correspondence; files relating to the administration of party political broadcasts and press releases, 1988-1992; papers relating to general, by, local and European elections, 1988-1993, including the 1991 report on general elections, and the European Election Task Group and ASLDC reports on local government elections; files on parliamentary procedure, 1989-1992; financial and administrative papers of the Liberal Democrat Party, 1986-1992, notably relating to fund raising; material concerning the organisation of local parties, 1988-1993, including those in Scotland and Wales; Liberal Democrat correspondence, 1982-1993, mainly with party members; constituency correspondence, 1985-1994, relating to Yeovil; general correspondence, 1983-1994, with members of the public, on subjects including animal rights, the arts, blood sports, capital punishment, constitutional and electoral reform, defence, education, energy, the environment, Europe, foreign affairs/policy, health, housing, human rights, legal aid, minority rights, the Poll Tax, taxation, trade and industry, and transport; correspondence relating to issues in individual constituencies, 1988-1994; files of information and correspondence on particular subjects, 1984-1993; personal material relating to work by Paddy Ashdown, 1983-1994, including books, articles, speeches and details of programmes; files on the employment of staff in Paddy Ashdown's office, 1984-1992. Also: files created by Ashdown as leader of the Liberal Democrats, c1991-1999 (AccNo: M1981); Paddy Ashdown's diaries, July 1988-April 1997 (AccNo: M3059); personal and party correspondence, 1987-1998 (AccNo: M3322); diaries and emails, 1999-2006 (AccNo: M3348).

Records of the Clapton Youth Centre, including Senior Members Defence Committee and Committee for the Defence of Clapton Youth Centre minutes and papers; nightly report sheets; Jean Tate, Tutor Warden (later Head)'s correspondence files concerning policy, disciplinary hearings, papers concerning campaigns and events based at the Centre including Anselm Samuel, Tutor in Charge (later Outreach Worker); the death of Colin Roach in Stoke Newington and Colin Roach Family Support Committee (joint campaign with Hackney Black Peoples Association); New Cross Fire demonstrations; trip to Grenada during the Revolution in 1980; related leaflets, posters, photographs and audio cassette tapes.

The records demonstrate how the Centre was run, and how relations deteriorated between the Centre and its parent, the Inner London Education Authority. The papers of the campaigns which were run from the Centre are particularly valuable for research on local issues in Hackney, as well as wider activism in the Black community. The photographs, slides and negatives are also a strong element in the collection, documenting the Centre's activities and related campaigns such as Colin Roach demonstrations and support given to the Knight family.

Records containing personal information concerning Jean Tate and Anslem Samuel are available for general access as those individuals have requested this access rule during their lifetimes. Records containing personal information relating to staff are not available for general access and have been restricted for 84 years from the last date in each file. Records containing personal information relating to members (who were aged 12 years and above) are not available for general access and have been restricted for 88 years from the last date in each file.

Audio-visual material is available for access by appointment only.

Papers of Sir Hugh Cortazzi comprising: photocopies of manuscripts including 'The Japanese journal of Sir Alfred East'; and 'My travels in India, China and Japan', Charles Wallis and related letters, 1996; 'Some memories of Elisabeth Christina Fernhill Alt, nee Earl (1847-)' and related letters, 1983; papers relating to the memoirs of John Bachelor including 'Steps by the Way'(1855-1945); photocopied extracts of Bachelor's published works on the Ainu, the Japanese minority people; bibliography of Bachelor's works, cuttings and articles relating to the Ainu people and Batchelor's manuscript, and related correspondence 1988-1996; photocopy of a Japanese publication relating to Bachelor [1954]; papers and correspondence relating to the AINU library, 1996; photocopies of articles and papers relating to Richard Henry Brunton (1841-1901) pioneer engineer in Japan 1868-1876, and the Brunton anniversary events, 1991; papers relating to the career of Sir Rutherford Alcock and the British Legation in Japan including photocopies of printed correspondence of Alcock from the Public Record Office, 1865-1870; copies of extract books and articles including one by Cortazzi, and related correspondence, 1980; articles and draft typescripts relating to Sir Vere Redman (1901-1965), English teacher and press correspondent in Japan, and related correspondence, 1995; photocopies of letters from Rolland (surname unknown), an American writing home from Kobe and Yokohama, 1897-1900; photocopies of letters of Algernon B Mitford to his father, 1867; typescript manuscript 'The best course available - a personal account of the secret US-Japan Okinawa Reversion negotiations, Wakaizumi Kei; photocopied typescript 'The writings on Japan and the Japanese of English and American Visitors, 1853-1910', Patricia Miriam Barr, University College London; copy of the thesis 'Unequal allies? US Security and Alliance policy towards Japan, 1945-1960' John Swenson-Wright, St Anthony's College Oxford, DPhil in International Relations, 1998; copy of thesis 'Sir Rutherford Alcock and Japan's entry into international society', Mayuko Sano, Emmanuel College, candidate for MPhil in International Relations, Centre for International Studies, University of Cambridge, Jul 1998; printed copies of Japanese publications including magazine of the First National Bank of Japan, 1963 containing article on Alexander Shand; literary journal containing articles on ceremonial procedures surrounding the Imperial family, 1990 (2 copies); Koken, current affairs journal containing conference papers relating to the past, present and future of Anglo-Japanese relations, 1986; printed copy book for study of Chinese characters; copies of Japan Review of International Affairs, Volume 11 No 1 1997-Volume 13 No 4 1999.

Platforms, statements, letters, newsletters, constitutions, speeches, addresses and broadcasts, 1957-1962 issued by the Central Africa Party, the Constitution Party (Rhodesia and Nyasaland) and the United Federal Party. Only material produced by a federal party during the existence of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland has been included in this collection.

Constitutions, speeches, manifestos, pamphlets, conference reports and instructions, histories, programmes, newspaper cuttings and letters, 1944 onwards, issued by the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, Eksat Jatika Paksaya (Sri Lanka) or United National Party, Janata Vimukti Peramuna, Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary), Nava Samasamaja Paksaya, Nava Samasamaja Paksaya (UK Branch), Sri Lanka Nidahas Paksaya or Sri Lankan Freedom Party, the United Front (Sri Lanka), the United Left Front (Sri Lanka) and other miscellaneous groups.