Press reports, 1965-1972, of Agence France Presse from Jakarta, Indonesia, chiefly by Brian May, on foreign affairs, including relations with Malaysia, Japan, the United States, and others; foreign aid; visits of overseas politicians; political affairs, including the Indonesian Communist party and Muslim parties; political unrest, including student militancy; the Chinese community; natural disasters and disease; sport; affairs in West Irian (Irian Jaya); economic policy, industry, mining and agriculture.

Letter from Sir Joseph Banks of Soho Square, London to Lord [?Sheffield], 10 Feb 1815. In favour of a Corn Law. 'We ought, however, to consider that by purchasing foreign Corn, we ... hazard the horrors of Famine by becoming dependant [sic] on our natural enemies for our food ...'. The first paragraph appears to be in Banks's own hand and the remainder in that of an amanuensis or copyist.

Records, c1946-1985, of Christian Aid and its predecessors, comprising correspondence, minutes and reports concerning aid projects in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean; papers of the Directorate including constitutional material, committee minutes of the British Council of Churches, and Christian Aid Board papers; organisational material including correspondence with other fund-raising bodies such as Oxfam, the Red Cross, and a selection of Christian Aid publicity material including Annual Reports.

Legal documents, acquired by the solicitor's office in the course of their work, relating to the manor of Hanwell, 1739-1869, including deeds and copies of deeds, extracts from court rolls, and mortgage agreements; copies of wills and administrations, mainly for residents of Hanwell; copies of land tax redemption certificates for land in Hanwell; copies of orders in Chancery relating to Hanwell.

Also papers relating to the Coleraine Park Estate, Tottenham, 1880-1883 and Ponders End, Enfield, 1861-1873.

Nine black and white photographs showing the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Pelée, Martinique, in 1902. Six of the photographs are of the town of Saint-Pierre. Also, manuscript sections of the volcano showing the various stages of the eruption, November 1902-October 1904, by Major W M Hodder, Royal Engineers, 27 October 1904.

Collection comprises correspondence with Philip Hammersley Leathes, manuscript papers, diaries, devotionals, dictionaries and pedigree rolls, title deeds and indentures, printed books and pamphlets, catalogues and the manuscripts of the architect, John Carter, [1350-1863]. Notably including correspondence from George Nayler of the College of Arms and Nicholas Carlisle, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries, relating to publications of the Society, discoveries of antique brass plate, and the exchange of manuscripts between antiquaries, [1790-1838]; loose manuscript papers collected by Leathes, describing ornamentation in early printed devotionals, a fictional narrative entitled 'The amorous Jill: A tale', narrative of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, notes relating to the observation of comets, including the comet of 1811, copies of charters of the reigns of Edward IV and Henry VII, papers relating to the Portland Vase, British Museum, fragments describing inscription on newly discovered brass plate, 1747-1829; pedigree rolls tracing the lineage of the English Crown, [1450, 1762]; manuscript volumes including collection of biblical extracts, liturgical handbook, autograph book with colour illustrations, antiquarian ephemera such as funeral memorials, armorials and the creation of nobles, volume by Francis Harrison entitled, 'The elements of navigation' with colour charts, tables and illustrations, dictionaries of Celtic and Saxon words, notes on the teaching of mathematics, commonplace book drawing on ancient and modern authors, manuscript diary including progress of architectural tour of Europe; title deeds and indentures for families in Nottingham, Southampton, London and Hungerford, residency certificates in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, 1650-1751; printed books and pamphlets on the subjects of antiquarianism, genealogy and architecture, 1778-1853; manuscripts of John Carter, architect, acquired at his death in 1817 by his executor, Leathes, notably including autobiographical notebooks by Carter describing architectural subjects and tours, commonplace book, correspondence with Leathes, loose notes on linguistics and the ships of the Russia Company, obituaries of Carter and sale catalogue from his estate, 1700-1818; manuscript catalogues and display captions relating to the Leathes' papers, King's College London, 1819, 1837.

Records of the London Committee for the Relief of the Distressed Irish including subscription books and papers 1822-3 (Mss 7440-3, 7469); general financial records 1822-4 (Mss 7444-7); Friendly Loan Society Bank accounts 1839-43 and indexes to loans 1837-43 (Mss 7448-50); letter books 1822-3 (Mss 7451-4); resolutions, some minutes and correspondence 1822-4 (Mss 7455-8); vouchers, receipts and miscellaneous papers 1822-3 (Mss 7459-64); agents' reports 1822 (Ms 7465) and reports and papers re local administration of relief, arranged by county, 1822-4 (Mss 7470-92); letters and reports of the British and Irish Ladies Association for Improving the Condition of Female Peasantry 1822-4 (Ms 7466); committee resolutions and correspondence of the Irish Peasantry Society 1822-4 (Ms 7467) and correspondence with the Irish Fishery Board 1822-3 (Ms 7468).

The collection was previously catalogued as the 'Irish Relief Fund' until 2007, when it was renamed 'The London Committee for the Relief of the Distressed Irish' following a reassessment of its contents.

A letter from the Lord Bishop of London to the Clergy and People of London and Westminster on the occasion of the Late Earthquakes, printed pamphlet.

Report to the Royal Society of London of the expedition into the interior of the Kingdom of Naples to investigate the circumstances of the Earthquake of December 1857, by Robert Mallet, CE, FRS.

Papers, 1913-1938, c1967, some undated, of the Rev Ebenezer Mann and his wife Mabel Mann. They include published newsletters (1913-1938) from Ebenezer and Mabel Mann, detailing their work in Kansu province, China; parts of a typescript work by Ebenezer Mann relating to his years in China; autobiographical notes made by Mabel Mann; and a small collection of photographs of China including photographs (1920-1921) of the aftermath of the earthquake in Lanchow, Kansu province. Also included is a list (1934) of missions and workers in China with the China Inland Mission, prepared by Ebenezer Mann.

Papers relating to his life and career, 1935-1982, dated 1911-1982, principally comprising administrative papers relating to his Army career, 1938-1971, including postings in India, Iraq, Persia, Egypt, Cyprus and Singapore; papers relating to his attendance at the 'Buffalo' British nuclear weapons tests, Maralinga, Australia, 1956; course syllabuses, lecture summaries andassociated papers, [1935-1966], notably concerning tropical medicine, entomology, public health, malaria and encephalitis; unsigned report, photographs and other papers relating to flood relief operation, Vientiane, Laos, Sep 1966; photographs, 1942-1961, mainly relating to his service in Malaya, 1958-1961; official War Office and Government of India publications concerning army regulations, training and health and medical services; Bulletins of the Ross Institute, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, 1956, 1959-1962; personal and family correspondence, 1938-1982.

MBW/1901-1908: Thames Floods (estimate of works required to repair damage caused by floods and estimates of works for defence against future flooding)

MBW/1909-1910: Redistribution Of Vestrymen (cuttings from minutes)

MBW/1911-1913: Water Supply (reports on the metropolis water supply)

MBW/1914-1916: Letters (in-letters, petitions, applications and out-letters)

MBW/1917-1919: Advertisements

MBW/1920-1924: Newspaper Cuttings

MBW/1925-1928: Staff Lists (including duties of officers)

MBW/1929-2309: Finance (including registers of contracts and agreements, salary books and rate books)

MBW/2310-2420: Printed Reports (including annual reports of the Board and Committees, architect's, engineer's and fire brigade reports, papers circulated to Board members, Bills and Acts of Parliament)

MBW/2421-2445: Contracts And Specifications for work on sewers, drains and embankments.

MBW/2446-2653: Plans (plans submitted to Parliament, plans of local improvements arranged by parish, plans of artisan's dwellings, plans of the metropolis water supply, plans of Thames floods, plans of parks and open spaces, plans presented to the Board and to various Committees to accompany reports, memorials and proposals for improvements, creation of parks, drainage, bridges, roads and tunnels, plans of railways)

MBW/2654-2656: District Surveyor (monthly returns and drainage applications)

MBW/2657-2663: Bridges (Accountant's Department papers concerning claims of the bridge companies whose bridges were acquired under the Metropolitan Toll Bridges Act 1877 and the Metropolitan Bridges Act 1883)

MBW/2664-2682: Thames Floods (volumes of duplicate copies of notices served on riparian [situated on the banks of a river] owners under the Metropolis Management (Thames River Prevention of Floods) Amendment Act 1879 and Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act, 1882, with associated plans and riverfront elevations)

MBW/2683-2685: Financial Records (Accountant's Department papers)

MBW/2686-2807: Thames Floods (plans and estimates for flood prevention works and plans of river frontage with elevations of riparian [situated on the banks of a river] properties)

MBW/2808-2812: Thames Soundings

MBW/2813-2830: Specifications (volumes of specifications for housing, fire stations, bridges, drainage, parks, embankments and sewers)

MBW/2831-2837: Contract Books and Registers

MBW/2838-2840: Rate Books

MBW/P: Plans

MBW/OW: Office of Works (papers relating to the Chelsea Bridge and Embankment, Westminster Bridge, Battersea Park, Kennington Park and Victoria Park)

MBW/BC: Bridge Company (papers relating to Vauxhall Bridge)

An extensive collection of photographs and drawings of the after-effects of the Neapolitan earthquake of 1857, collected by Robert Mallet (FRS 1854) including 120 stereoscopic cards by Alphonse Bernoud and 36 individual studies by C V Grillet.

Preliminary Report on, and photographs of, the event mounted and bound into one volume. Includes a letter from James Hector donating the report and photographs. Includes a second letter of 22 September 1886 with an additional 15 photographs with remarks on the back which have also been pasted in to the volume. The comments have been typed underneath the photographs.

Cassette copies and transcripts of recordings of unedited interviews assembled, 1972-1974, for the radio series 'Plain Tales from the Raj', including material not included in the broadcast programmes, and comprising c200 hours of material. The 82 subjects interviewed, including men, women, adults and children, lived and worked in India from the late 19th century to Independence (1947) and the interviews cover a wide range of civilian and military experience between 1876 and 1949. Military personnel range from the Commander in Chief of the Army in India to Army privates. Civil servants of various ranks and members of the business and commercial world, for example tea planters, are also included. Women mainly comprise wives and daughters, but also include a few nurses and governesses. The project covered the lives of the British in India and, although the material touches upon the effect of the Raj on India and its indigenous inhabitants, only a small number of Indians and Eurasians were interviewed. Subjects covered include accommodation and living conditions; daily routine; social life and recreation; health and sanitation; the effects of India postings on family life; relations between the British, other Europeans, Indians and Eurasians in social and work environments; events such as riots and earthquakes; the fauna and landscape of India; and political events. Full typescript transcripts (including inaccuracies in some cases) exist for most, but not all, of the recordings.

Daily written observations and pencil sketches of volcanic activity, kept by Father Antonio Piaggi, July 1779-August 1794, on behalf of Sir William Hamilton, Piaggi was based at the Madonna Pugliano near Resina at the western side of Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples. With an additional volume dedicated to the major eruption of 1779, (originally volume 1 of the sequence). The volumes have occasional inserted material.

Maps from the Middlesex County Council Planning Department, 1920-1961, including map of London Airport (Heathrow); map showing allotments in Middlesex; maps of bye-passes, roads and highways; maps of school sites and playing fields; map of land liable for flooding; nature conservancy map; maps of drainage and sewerage; map of the Thames Riverside Walk; maps of the Central, North, South and West Planning Areas and map of parishes, unions, rural and urban sanitary districts.

Papers, 1820-1953, of the Sibree family, comprising miscellaneous correspondence and manuscripts, press cuttings and printed papers, 1867-1929, of James Sibree, the subjects including missionary, literary and architectural work and the history, customs and language of Madagascar, including a manuscript of his `Missionary Heroes and Heroism in Madagascar', 1925; eight scrapbooks of James Sibree's papers, 1820-1927, containing printed materials and cuttings, correspondence and notes, maps and sketches relating to Madagascar and to the Sibree family; two volumes presented to James Sibree on the 50th anniversary of his missionary service in Madagascar, 1913; other papers of James Sibree relating to Madagascar, 1874-c1916 and undated, including its natural history; photographs, comprising portraits of missionaries and others connected with the Madagascar mission, 19th century, Sibree family photograph album, 1902-1913, including volcanic eruptions in Samoa, and photographs of Madagascar, including buildings, landscapes, and individuals; scrapbook of Elsie Sibree, c1913-1953, including press cuttings, photographs, and notes.

Minutes and presented papers of London County Council special and joint committees, 1889-1965, as follows:

Allegations (Council Officials) Committee

Special Committee on the Establishment of an Ambulance Service

Special Committee on Building Control

Advisory Committee on the Control on the Construction of Buildings in London

Charing Cross Bridge Advisory Committee

Church of England Advisory Board on Spiritual Ministration

Special Committee on Contracts

Special Joint Committee on the provision of Coroner's Courts and Mortuaries

Council Chamber and Offices Committee

Special Committee on the transfer of County Business

County Hall Luncheon Club Committee

County Rate Committee

Departmental Committees on the Organisation and Working of LCC Departments

Special Committee on the Office of Deputy Chairman of the Council

Advisory Committee on the Design of Consumer Goods

Special Committee on Finance Bill, 1914

Special Committee on Fire Insurance

Greater London Regional Planning Committee

Meetings of Heads of Departments

Special Committee on Health Administration in London

Hospitals Committee

Interim Panel

Juveniles Committee

Lack of Employment Conference

Joint Committee on the working of the Leyton tramways

Loan Fund for Prospective Teachers

Special Committee on Local Expenditure

Local Pension Committee

Special Committee on Locomotion and Transport in London

London Air Terminal

Advisory Committee on the Amendment of the London Building Act, 1930

Special Committee on London Electricity Supply

Special Committee on changes in London Local Government

Special Committee on London Government

London War Pensions Committee

Special Joint Committee on the Control of lunatics, imbeciles and infectious poor

Advisory Committee on combined medical appointments in Division 9 of the LCC Public Health Department

Members and Staff Committee

Joint Committee of Members and School-keepers

Special Committee of Inquiry into certain matters of administration in the Mental Hospitals Department

Sub-committee of the Provisional LCC appointed to confer with a Committee of the Metropolitan Board of Works

Special Committee on the provision of New Offices

Officers (Education) Superannuation Committee

Conference on Open Spaces for recreational purposes

Special Committee on the Organisation of the Council's Service

Poor Law Committee

Procedure Committee

Richmond Hill (Preservation of View) Executive Committee

Committee of Inquiry on Sadlers Wells

Special Committee on Staff Appeals

Conference on regulations in connection with Streets and Street traffic

Special Committee on the allocation of the cost of Street Improvements along Tramway Routes

Survey of London (Joint Publishing) Committee

Teacher's Superannuation Committee

Special Committee on Technical Education

Special Committee on Thames Bridges

Joint Committee on Thames Flood Prevention

Special Committee on Traffic

Tramways Committee

Special Joint Sub-committee on the Typhoid Fever Epidemic in Maidstone and the London Water Supply

Special Committee on the Unemployment

Special Committee on the Valuation of Land

Special Committee on the War Estimates

Special Committee on the Works Department

Please note that copies of these minutes and papers are on open access in the Information Area.

Papers, c1909-1976, of Sister Gladys Stephenson, comprising diary of journey to China, 1915; journals of visits to Korea and Peking, 1926, 1936 and undated; journal of her time in the internment camp, 1942-1945; diaries recording daily events, 1946-1971; long letter from Gladys Stephenson, 1945, from the Shanghai internment camp recounting her experiences, and typescript copies; manuscript and typescript accounts of a journey to Hong Kong, Malaya and the Holy Land, 1961; other typescript and manuscript notes, accounts, or addresses by Gladys Stephenson recounting her experiences, largely undated, including one relating to the great floods (1931); two photographs of a chapel used by the Methodist hospital, Hankow, and papers relating to a stained glass window, 1940; printed material on Christianity, missionary work and missionaries, nursing and training, and other aspects of life in China, including hospitals in Hankow, 1909-1976, largely dating, 1920s-1960s.

Papers, 1919-1990, of and relating to John Emmett Woodall and Tientsin Grammar School (TGS).
Papers, 1927-1946, of John Emmett Woodall comprise applications for positions at the TGS and contracts of employment, 1927-1937; correspondence and papers, 1941-1943, relating to the occupation of the TGS by the Japanese; correspondence and papers, 1942-1945 and undated, relating to the Woodall's family's case for repatriation after internment; personal correspondence, 1935-1942, including two letters from Woodall to his parents; applications for employment in the UK, 1945-1946.
Records, 1919-1990, of and relating to Tientsin Grammar School comprise publications, 1919-1938, 1990 and undated, including prospectuses, Speech Day pamphlets, and alumni magazines; school documents, 1926-1942 and undated, relating to student numbers, examinations, finance, school activities, and text books, and including school journal and order of examination of Daphne Payne, 1928; press cuttings on the TGS, 1928-1939, 1982; photographs, 1919-1941, including staff, students, school activities and buildings, and miniature photographs of scenes in Tientsin (Tianjin), including floods and Japanese bombing; miscellaneous papers and ephemera, 1928-1940, 1978-1987 and undated, relating to the TGS and its alumni and to Tientsin, including the flood (1939).