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 Introduction
Contact Wandsworth Heritage Service at Battersea Library to:
- find out about Wandsworth's past
- trace your family history
- discover the history of your house or street
- view old photographs of the local area
- read original documents
- use the internet for local and family history research
A wide range of material is available, from books, local newspapers and maps to original archives and photographs.
- Archives of Wandsworth Borough Council and predecessor authorities
- Archives of local organisations, businesses, societies, families and individuals
- Maps and plans (some on microfilm)
- Photographs, slides and other illustrations
- Local newspapers (many on microfilm)
- Books, pamphlets and printed ephemera
- Local directories
- Microform resources including census returns 1841-1901 and the International Genealogical Index for England (1992 edition)
- Ancestry Library Edition online resources including census returns for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; civil registration indexes for England and Wales, historic BT telephone directories and more. This online resource can be accessed free at the Heritage Service and in every library in Wandsworth.
Archive catalogues (including records of local people, families and societies) are available on the Access to Archives database. The library catalogue includes books in the Heritage Service collection.
Other catalogues and indexes to the collections can be consulted in the search room.
 Many original records relating to Wandsworth are held by other organisations, particularly the London Metropolitan Archives. Details are included in the guide to 'Local and family history resources for the borough of Wandsworth', 2nd Edition, 2004, by Dorian Gerhold, published by Wandsworth Historical Society. You can download a copy below in Adobe's pdf format.
 Local and family history resources (96 kb)
Using the Heritage Service and opening times
The starting point for enquiries about local and family history is the Reference Library on the ground floor of Battersea Library, which is open:
- Monday 9am-9pm
- Tuesday 9am-9pm
- Wednesday 9am-9pm
- Thursday 9am-9pm
- Friday 9am-9pm
- Saturday 9am-5pm
- Sunday 1pm-5pm
The local studies and search room for archives is on the first floor of Battersea Library and is open to everyone on:
- Tuesday 2pm-7.30pm
- Friday 10am-5pm
Please make an appointment if you would like to consult archives on Saturday mornings: you must order the archives in advance by telephoning 020 8871 7753. It will not be possible for staff to retrieve additional items from the archive storage areas on Saturdays.
There is no lift to give level access to the search room, but alternative arrangements will be made to enable you to consult archives on the ground floor if you tell us in advance.
Contact us
Wandsworth Heritage Service,
Battersea Library, Lavender Hill,
SW11 1JB
Tel: 020 8871 7753
Fax: 020 7978 4376
Email: heritage@wandsworth.gov.uk
Getting here
Get a local map from Streetmap
By train
Clapham Junction (10 minutes walk)
By bus
There is a bus stop close to Battersea Library in Lavender Hill
By car
There is a car park in the supermarket opposite Battersea Library (free parking for 2 hours) and metered parking on adjacent streets
Copies and publications
You can purchase photocopies, microfilm prints or photographs, subject to copyright restrictions. Reproduction postcards, prints, maps and local history books and pamphlets are sold in all Wandsworth libraries
Group visits and talks
Please phone 020 8871 7753 if you want to bring a group to discover archives and information about the history of Wandsworth
How to get involved
If you are interested in Wandsworth's history, you can:
- Join an email list for occasional news and events
- Volunteer to work in the Heritage Service's search room
- Share your information about photographs or records of local people, organisations and societies
- Join Wandsworth Historical Society which promotes local history research in Wandsworth.
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