Identity area
Identifier
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Other form(s) of name
- TfL Archives
Type
- Regional
Contact area
Type
Address
Street address
Locality
Region
Country name
Postal code
Telephone
Fax
Note
Description area
History
Transport for London came into being in July 2000 but inherited all assets and functions of its predecessor body, which in turn had inherited all assets and functions of its predecessor body, and so on, all the way back to 1933 and the London Passenger Transport Board. This means TfL Corporate Archives represents TfL, London Regional Transport, London Transport Executive (GLC), London Transport Board, London Transport Executive, and London Passenger Transport Board.
London Passenger Transport Board was established in 1933 by Act of Parliament and united multiple private transport companies, again inheriting their assets. This means TfL Corporate Archives represents to varying degrees Underground Electric Railways Company of London, Metropolitan Railway, LCC tramways, Metropolitan Electric tramways, Bexley and Dartford tramways, Croydon Corporation tramways, East Ham Corporation tramways, Erith Council tramways, Ilford Council tramways, Walthamstow tramways, West Ham tramways, London United tramways, South Metropolitan Electric tramways, London General Omnibus Company.
Geographical and cultural context
All areas served by London's transport network, including Green Line Coaches routes to Windsor and Essex.
Records of London Transport International Consulting also cover global cities such as Singapore, Chicago, Moscow, and more.
Mandates/Sources of authority
Greater London Authority Act 1999
Transport Act 1962
Administrative structure
Records management and collecting policies
The Collections Development Policy sets out Transport for London Corporate Archive’s objectives in acquiring records. These are:-
• To record the principal business functions and actions of Transport for London, its predecessors and successors
• To document the organisation’s interactions with London’s citizens and with the physical and social environment
• To document staff associations and clubs directly related to TfL, its subsidiaries and predecessors. Such records will be selected only where there is a clear link to TfL's existing historical archive 'holdings'.
• To capture the personal records of individual TfL members of staff where they have performed roles of key significance in the context of TfL’s history
The objectives are to be met by collecting records which relate to ten themes:-
• History of Transport
• History of Technology
• History of TfL as an organisation
• History of London and its Neighbourhoods
• Economic History
• Social History
• Political History
• Public Policy
• Architectural History
• History of Art & Design
Buildings
Holdings
170,000+ physical files and items in over 20,000 boxes.
Stored offsite
24+ TB of digital holdings
1556-present day
Some early collections are on long term deposit at London Metropolitan Archives under ACC1297
Finding aids, guides and publications
Catalogue - https://tflcorporatearchivescatalogue.co.uk/CalmViewA/
Website - www.tfl.gov.uk/archives
Digital Collections Online portal - www.tfl.gov.uk/digital-collections
Google Arts and Culture site - https://artsandculture.google.com/project/tfl-archives
Access area
Opening times
By prior appointment only
Aim to accommodate requests for access within 2 weeks
Access conditions and requirements
Accessibility
Services area
Research services
Reproduction services
Self-photography permitted
Public areas
Control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised 17/07/2024
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin