London Archives

[belindy]

My mum is going to be traveling to London from New Zealand next month and has offered to visit the National Archives for me to try and find information regarding from great grandmother.

I am wanting to give her an idea about where to start. My great grandmother was living in St Pancras from c1917 until 1924.
What sort of records could be available from that time?

Is it as simple as entering a name into the database when she gets there?

Any ideas are very much appreciated!

Belinda

[StevieSteve]

Hi

No, that approach would probably lead to a frustrating day.

The Archives, whether London or National (separate orgainisations in separate parts of London) are probably best visited when you've got something specific to find after you've got the usual BMD and census info and you want to focus into the details

So what did your grandmother's family do, where did they come from , when, where was she born, what are you trying to find out. Then you might be able to get more details from the Archives

Bear in mind she probably won't be on electoral registers as woman weren't allowed to vote and also that St Pancras can cover a wide area, not just around the station - Camden, Kentish Town, Euston, Kings Cross etc. There might not also be much of the contemporary buildings from that time because of the Blitz and the expansion of the railway stations, depots around that part of the parish.

Of course, you may find a goldmine but you will need to be more specific in your searching

Good luck!

[dawnsh]

Hi Belinda

The National Archives at Kew, although a lovely day trip just out of the centre of London, will most probably be a waste of time genealogically.

A better place to visit would be the London Metroplitan Archives close to Farringdon Station.

However as Steve says, a visit to either with nothing specific in mind will be a potential waste of a day trip.

Even a walk around St Pancras might be disappointing as the area has been completely redeveloped over the years, and especially following WW2

Most of the commonly used genealogical records for London are online: bmd's, electoral registers, wills.

Your mum might enjoy a visit to Kew Gardens, weather depending, instead.