Hammersmith and Fulham have a long and rich history involving LGBTQ+ communities. Being a neighbour to Earls Court, a long-time hub of LGBTQ+ night life, as well as being host to Charing Cross hospital, home to the first gender identity clinic, can explain in part the presence of these communities.
What makes Hammersmith and Fulham special for LGBTQ+ communities?
H&F was, and still is, home to many gay bars and clubs. Many remember extravagant parties in the 1980s and 1990s. Some names like The Penny Farthing, the Royal Oak, the Hope and Anchor or the Palais may bring back memories to others.
Party at the Royal Oak, published in Boyz, 24 Oct 1991
Another, more sombre, characteristic of Hammersmith and Fulham is the extent of the HIV epidemic when it started in the 1980s. The Marta and Luke clinic in Charing Cross Hospital was one of the first centres in London to offer HIV antibody testing, in November 1984. A joint report from Housing Services and the AIDS and Housing project, dated 1995, stated that “Hammersmith and Fulham has one of the highest rate of HIV prevalence in the UK. The Government has recognised this and has awarded the highest AIDS Support Grant allocation to the borough over the last five years.”
From 1984, the local press records the struggles and initiatives of the Council to fund the medical care and general support necessary to those affected by AIDS.
The London Standard, 6 June 1986Fulham Chronicle, 7 Apr 1988
The council’s support to homosexual communities was amplified by the HIV epidemic but inclusion in the wider community was still a struggle.
Shepherds Bush and Hammersmith Gazette, 21 May 1987
In 1987, fear of discrimination towards homosexuals in the workplace was still present. Although, in Fulham, in 1986, the Citizens Advice Bureau had “commit(ed) itself to an equal recruitment policy for gays and lesbians”.
The above is a very quick overview of the information that could be gathered from documents kept in the archives. The truth is there is very little information available on the history of LGBTQ+ communities in the Hammersmith and Fulham borough. This is why during the month of February we are appealing to individuals and communities for information on which people, places, events are related to the LGBTQ+ history in Hammersmith and Fulham. If you think you can contribute to the story, please get in touch with me at archives@lbhf.gov.uk.
Annaig Boyer, archivist and local studies manager, Hammersmith and Fulham Council
The Hammersmith and Fulham Archives move is now complete.
How did it go?
Overall the process went smoothly. In July a team of six packers from DeepStore came to start packing and loading. They worked every day into August, for four weeks and a day, slightly longer than the initial estimate of three weeks. The main reason it took longer than anticipated was the large number of oversized volumes that had been missed in the initial survey done by the movers: most of the books on the static shelves were oversized and didn’t fit into archival boxes. Each oversized book had to be individually wrapped with bubble wrap and tape.
DeepStore vanRolling stack number one, labelled, inventoried and ready for packing. The boxes on the top shelves were the first to go.
Once inventoried and packaged for the move, each box or wrapped item was allocated a serial number and barcode by DeepStore. The barcode labels were affixed on the narrow end of the storage boxes under the handles.
Barcode stickers
The serial numbers are linked to Hammersmith & Fulham’s catalogue in the DeepStore database. Once the documentation of the barcoded items’ location in the storage facility is complete, the Archivist will be able to log on to DeepStore’s secure portal to request items for delivery.
How much stuff was moved?
The movers packed a total of 216 palettes, loading an average of 20 on each lorry. The archival boxes were packed first, and a full lorry left the premises every day during the first week of the move. Then the non-uniform items were packed and loaded. This was more time consuming, so the lorry departures were spaced every few days over the remaining weeks.
Three palettes of barcoded boxes awaiting shrink-wrappingStacks of shrink-wrapped boxes on palettesShrink-wrapped archival boxes on palettes, labelled and awaiting loading into a lorry for the journey to DeepStore.DeepStore lorry loaded with palettes of boxes and crated artwork. Photo by Archivist Annaig Boyer.Boxes stacked to the ceiling at DeepStore. Photo courtesy of DeepStore at https-//www.deepstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/deepstore-still-8-comp.Boxed and crated items at DeepStore. Photo courtesy of DeepStore at https-//www.deepstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/deepstore-still-5-comp.
What next?
In Cheshire, the DeepStore staff are working to get the Hammersmith and Fulham archival collections in place in their new storage space, ready for retrieval.
In Hammersmith, there is still work to be done onsite to empty the Lilla Huset of shelving, furniture and other remaining items, before the lease ends and the building goes back to its owner. The remaining furniture includes 38 rolling stacks with shelves, dozens of static shelves, wooden index card chests, wood and glass display cabinets and metal plan chests. These will be moved as follows:
The University of Huddersfield will take the rolling stacks and some static shelves for their archives.
The wooden index card chests will be transported to Hammersmith Library. The thousands of index cards in the drawers need to be cross-referenced against the Archives’ catalogue, to check all the information in them has been digitally recorded. The cards will then be disposed of, and a new home found for the cabinets.
The wood and glass display cabinets will be moved to Borough Storage.
The Harrods Archive will take two of the metal plans chests and the remaining ones will be moved to Borough Storage.
Empty rolling stacks and static shelves at Lilla Huset that will be transported to the University of HuddersfieldOne of the wood and glass display cabinets to take to borough storage, and static shelves ready for pick-up by the University of Huddersfield.
Among the remaining items are a few archival objects that were held back as they require special care, including:
Photographic glass slides that need to be catalogued and rehoused in archival materials.
Mouldy volumes that require professional cleaning by a conservator.
Duplicate ordinance survey maps that need to be separated from the originals.
Once these tasks are complete, the items will be packaged and sent to DeepStore.
Some of the glass slides awaiting cataloguing and archival packagingWrapped volumes of the Fulham Public Baths accounts and administration affected by mould, ready to be sent for professional remediation treatment by a conservator. All that remains on the last rolling stack: piles of ordinance survey maps and duplicates awaiting sorting, and a few empty boxes.
This work will take place through September. If all goes well, the Hammersmith reading room will reopen in October, and patrons will once again be able to request items from the archives for research and viewing.
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung (except for photographs with other copyright information noted) for Hammersmith & Fulham Archives. All rights reserved.
In a previous post I described a visit from the National Conservation Service to Hammersmith and Fulham Archives’ Lilla Huset location near the Hammersmith Flyover. Over several days, stack by stack, two experts assessed the collections. Their goal was to identify issues that might pose problems during the upcoming move to an underground storage facility, or over the longer term in storage.
Their report is now complete. It gives a snapshot of the current issues, and highlights areas of risk that can be managed and should be prioritised. These are the main areas of concern:
Surface dirt
There is a heavy build-up of surface dirt on the collections, with dusty deposits most noticeable on the tops of boxes and heads of books. The Lilla Huset building is very close to major roads so the soiling is likely to contain particulates from exhaust fumes. Some items are very soiled. A few of these have been heavily used. Others are made of materials that attract and hold dirt, like textured leather.
The conservators recommend cleaning the heads of volumes, lids of the boxes and loose items with museum vacs with brush head attachments and/or soft cloths.
Detail of stack of maps, with a few showing heavy soiling
Mould and pests
The report identifies items affected by mould and pests. Fortunately, there are not many. There are no serious cases of pests, and only one serious case of mould, which is localised, affecting a stack of maps and plans stored on top of a cabinet. The mould appears to be a historic outbreak caused by a leak.
Mouldy items should be cleaned prior to the move to reduce degradation and prevent mould spreading to other parts of the collection. The affected maps need to be wrapped and isolated then professionally cleaned by a conservator – using a museum vacuum with HEPA filter and swabbing heavy deposits with isopropyl alcohol.
White mould underneath stack of maps and plansPlans in the centre of a stack affected by black mouldMouldy plans are quarantined, packed between thick layers of paper and placed in a box to be sent for conservation treatment
Leather red-rot
The archives include thousands of leather-bound volumes, most which are suffering from red-rot degradation. Red rot is not always red. It is often beige or brown – the colour of the leather when it starts to crumble and disintegrate. It is a very fine powder that gets everywhere, much like plaster dust. Red rot is especially common in books manufactured during the 19th century, using a faster tanning process than was employed previously to meet increased demand in the late 18th and 19th C. The faster tanned leather absorbs more pollutants from the atmosphere which react with the tannin and become acidic, making the leather degrade. This leather is also more sensitive to light damage. This means older books bound with leather made using slower tanning methods are often in better condition.
Red rot is contagious. It spreads to other volumes and propagates into text-blocks, staining pages. It is also a potential irritant to humans. Red rot cannot be stopped or reversed, but its rate of degradation can be slowed.
Leather bound volumes come in all sizes, from hand- sized to bigger than one person can lift. Giant ledgers are particularly difficult to handle and often show heavy wear and tear.Volumes bound in leather likely produced using the fast-tanning technique and showing significant degradationRed rot powder and fragments left behind after books are removed for specialist packaging
The conservators estimate 2218 items have red-rot leather degradation. They recommend consolidating and individually wrapping the worst affected volumes in tissue to prevent further abrasion and loss of leather.
If a volume is particularly valuable or requested, it is possible to reduce contact and abrasion during use by using a leather consolidant/adhesive to bind crumbling fibres together and form a protective barrier, and covering the item. This is a time consuming and expensive process.
Fragile leatherbound volumes individually wrapped. They will be placed in archival boxes, which will be barcoded, before the move to DeepStore.Detail of individually wrapped book. Each volume is wrapped in tissue paper, tied with cotton tape and labelled with a handwritten paper tag. All materials are archival quality.
Loose bindings
Many of the bound volumes are old and well-used. They have loose spines or bindings and detaching parts. The conservators estimate 1019 volumes have issues and are at high risk of further loss or damage, particularly during the move.
View from the top of the rolling stacks of leather volumes. The spines and bindings of many of these volume have sustained damage over the years, and they will require careful packing. Frequently requested items are candidates for conservation work.
The conservators recommend affected bound volumes be surveyed, graded by condition and measured for bespoke archival boxes on a collection priority basis. Oversized volumes that are difficult to handle should also be stored flat to decrease the risk of being dropped or mis-handled.
Film degradation
No visible signs of degradation were identified, but six groups of items have the tell-tale odour of vinegar syndrome. The acidic smell indicates degrading acetate film.
The conservators recommend identifying the acetate films and separating them from the other plastic negatives and microfilms (made of polyester). The acetate films should then be tested using A-D test strips – dye-coated pieces of paper that change colour from blue to green and then yellow in the presence of acidic vapour. The more yellow the test strip, the greater the level of degradation. Films that turn the test strips dark green should be placed in cold storage and monitored regularly. Films that turn the test strips light green to yellow should be copied and frozen to reduce further degradation. The brighter the yellow, the more urgent the remediation measures should be.
Embrittlement
Oversized plans and newspapers comprise a significant part of the collections. Forty-five of the sampled items (a representative, small proportion of the total) show embrittlement, particularly where the papers extend past the boards or housing.
These and the at-risk items (not identified in the sampling but presumably present) risk further loss if not handled with care. The conservators recommend all the rolled items and plans be surveyed and their packaging and treatment needs assessed. Many require re-housing in archival boards and tubes.
Oversized plans at risk of embrittlement
Packaging issues
All items need to be properly packaged to protect them from physical damage during the move and to buffer them from harmful environmental conditions. The conservators noted the following issues to be addressed prior to the move:
Around 100 boxes made of non-archival materials, some without lids.
Broken or water damaged boxes with loose labels.
Heavy and overfilled boxes.
Boxes either lacking internal packaging or using non-archival materials for support.
Rolled items stored individually and in groups loose on shelves, some in non-archival housing.
Photographic prints in non-archival boxes and sleeves.
Glass plates in half-filled boxes lacking adequate padding.
Newspapers needing rehousing
All non-archival packaging should be replaced with archival-quality materials, such as acid-free paper folders, envelopes and tissues, and brass paperclips. Labels need to be securely afixed. Boxes containing glass plates should be marked as fragile, and the plates padded with acid free tissue or Plastazote (a specialist closed-cell insulating foam) and tied with cotton tape to minimize movement.
Conclusion
Conducting the survey before the material is moved off-site means that vulnerable materials have been identified. A small number of high-risk items with immediate issues can be kept at the Library where further assessment and treatment decisions can be made. A plan can be put in place to manage other items at risk of deterioration in storage – recalling items for specialist care as needed – proactively preventing them suffering from benign neglect once in long-term deep storage. The potential for damage due to inadequate packaging during the move can be reduced, and the risk of mould or pests spreading in the collection after the move eliminated.
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham Archives. All rights reserved.
Hammersmith and Fulham Archives photographic collections date from the 1870s to the present day. There are approximately 60,000 images of major construction projects, residential housing, cemeteries, important visitors, performances, celebrations, boat races and football matches, etcetera.
Of particular interest to building historians and those wishing to look up a place they lived in 50 years ago, a comprehensive photographic survey of the borough was completed in the 1970s, and Hammersmith and Fulham Historic Buildings Group compiled a collection of colour photographs documenting streets, buildings and houses from 1995 to 1996. New developments have also been photographed.
Slides, negatives and prints in multiple sizes and formats are stored in cabinets, drawers, boxes and files. Most require special handling and careful packing for the move to DeepStore.
Glass plates
These slides are some of the most fragile items in the archives. They range in size from 4 x 5” to 9 x 12”. Some are well protected, in wooden cabinets with drawers designed to store them. Others are loose in their original cardboard boxes, which have started to disintegrate. Many have not been handled in a long time and have accumulated layers of dust.
Boxes of glass negatives on shelfOpen box of glass negatives in need of rehousing
About 800 of the slides in the Hammersmith and Fulham collection are lantern slides, also known as “magic lantern slides”. Each slide consists of a base sheet of glass that has the emulsion (image) on it and with another sheet of glass taped to the top of it, to protect the exposed surface. Photographic lantern slides were first produced in the mid 1800s, a few years after the invention of photography. They were projected onto walls using candles, kerosene or gas. When electricity was invented in the late 1800s, light bulbs replaced these more hazardous light forms. Lantern slides were used through the early to mid-1900s, when they were eventually replaced by 35mm slides.
Detail of boxes of lantern slides
It is hard to distinguish the images on most of the slides without a lightbox, but some have accompanying index books with prints that are captioned, enabling easy identification.
Wooden cabinet with drawers for glass negatives and index files to printsGlass negatives contained in special cabinet drawersPrints from glass negatives in the index book
Sometimes a print is included in the box with the negative, or a reference to a print stored elsewhere in the archives.
Open box with large glass transparency and print of a map, with a reference to an oversize print.Colourful box containing a giant glass negativeArchivist Annaig Boyer holding up the giant glass negative to identify its subject. It is a photo of a map of the historic county of Middlesex. The parishes of Hammersmith and Fulham were once a part of Middlesex.Detail of glass negative boxes
None of these glass slides can be moved to DeepStore in their current state. They all need to be professionally packed. They can then be sent with the majority of the glass slides collection, which is properly packed in archival materials.
Glass slides in archival boxes in a metal storage cabinetInside the archival boxes, each glass slide is individually sheathed in an archival envelope
Film negatives and transparencies
There are six large cabinets containing about 3,000 colour transparencies, dating from the early 1900s to the 2000s. There are also copy negatives and prints of these. Some are individually contained in mylar sleeves and neatly arranged in archival boxes. Others are individually mounted and organized in hanging transparent files. Many more are in paper and plastic binders. All need to be packed in archival boxes and labelled for the move.
Caroline, a long-time volunteer at Hammersmith and Fulham Archives, placing hanging files of transparencies in archival boxes.A sheet of transparencies of various origins, some are copies of images dating from c.1918-1926.Binders of negatives from the 1970s Fulham street survey
Prints
There are photographic prints in all formats: mounted in frames, albums and scrapbooks; filed in boxes, folders and cabinet drawers.
Archival boxes filled with prints
These images tell the story of the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham. Family historians often request photos of the buildings they or their ancestors lived in.
Black and white prints mounted on board and stored in an archival box
The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in May 2023 led to many requests for images of Queen Elizabeth II’s crowning in June 1953.
A large print of HM The Queen at Lime Grove TV Studios on 28 October 1953
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham Archives. All rights reserved.
A cobbler’s stand complete with heel ball, wax, irons and leather knife. Enormous oil paintings. Printing blocks, ceramic vases, clocks, brass trophies and articles of clothing. At Hammersmith and Fulham archives, these unusual items are stored alongside the volumes, prints, negatives, plans and maps traditionally found in archives. All require special packing to ensure safe transport to DeepStore and longevity in storage.
Cobbler’s stand and tools
Artwork
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has a large art collection, donated by various benefactors over the years. There are about 600 paintings and illustrations of people and places in the borough, and some works by local artists.
St Paul’s Church (1841) painting by A. E. ThresherBradmore House, Hammersmith (1904) painting by Evacustes Phipson. This is part of the Samuel Martin Bequest. Martin,was the first Librarian of Hammersmith from 1889 to 1919
The Cecil French Bequest
The Cecil French Bequest is particularly significant. Cecil French was born in Dublin, trained as an artist at the Royal Academy Schools in London and settled in Fulham. He collected Pre-Raphaelite, Post-Romanticism period paintings and drawings. In the 1950s, these paintings were not considered particularly important or valuable, but the artists who painted them are now highly renowned. They include Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Frederic Leighton, Albert Moore and John William Waterhouse.
Cecil French’s favourite artist was Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a British painter and designer. Burne-Jones met fellow student William Morris at Exeter College, Oxford in 1856, and the two moved to Hammersmith to work with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. This connection to Hammersmith was one reason a portion of French’s collection was given to Hammersmith & Fulham Council when he died in 1953.
The Garland: A Girl Tending Flowers (1866) painting by Sir Edward Burne-Jones; part of the Cecil French Bequest. It was adapted from the designs Burne-Jones drew for the stained glass in the Green Dining Room at South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria & Albert Museum). The windows are still in situ.Detail of Girl’s Head: A Fantasy (1897) painting by Sir Edward Burne-Jones; part of the Cecil French BequestApricots (1866) painting by Albert Moore; part of the Cecil French BequestMariana in the South (c.1897) painting by John William Waterhouse; part of the Cecil French Bequest. Waterhouse’s inspiration for the painting was Lord Alfred Tennyson’s 1843 version of his poem Mariana in the South. Tennyson was in turn inspired by the character Mariana in Shakespeare’s play Measure for Measure. Abandoned by her lover Angelo in Southern France, Shakespeare describes her as “Low on her knees herself she cast … And on the liquid mirror glow’d The clear perfection of her face”.
Several of the Cecil French Bequest artworks are already stored in custom-built wooden crates. Others are simply wrapped in paper and bubble wrap. A professional art packaging company is coming to Lilla Huset to package and crate these items so they can be safely moved to, and stored at, DeepStore. While the works will not be accessible for a period, plans are afoot to stage an exhibition of the Cecil French Bequest at a future date.
Crated artwork from the Cecil French Bequest ready to move to DeepStoreArtwork from the Cecil French Bequest awaiting professional packing for the move to DeepStore
Maps and plans
There are hundreds of maps and plans in the collection. The earliest maps in the collection were drawn by cartographer John Rocque between 1741 and 1745. Roque published the most detailed map of London at the time in 1746. There are maps of Hammersmith published by Salter in 1830 and Roberts in 1853, and of Fulham published by Maclure in 1853. The collection includes many local authority and Ordnance Survey (OS) maps by Great Britain’s national mapping agency dating from 1874 to 1992.
Front elevation plan for Central Fulham Library. This is a large-scale drawing that needs two people to lift it safely.
Most of the maps and plans are stored in seven plan chests with a total of 215 shallow drawers or drawer equivalents, designed to store large documents flat. A significant number of maps and plans are also stacked on top of cabinets – a hangover from a project to catalogue them that was abruptly interrupted by COVID, when the library and archives were closed.
Maps stacked on top of cabinets
Others are rolled and stored on open shelves. A few of these are wrapped in tissue paper and packed in protective cardboard tubes; others are simply tied with string. They are nearly all so big that it takes two people to safely handle them.
Rolled plans stored on open shelvesStack of freshly packed archival map boxes
Pottery
There is a sizeable collection of pottery made in Fulham. Most was made at Fulham Pottery from the 17th to 20th centuries.
Fulham Pottery was founded in 1672 by John Dwight on New King’s Road near Putney Bridge. Dwight pioneered the production of stoneware in England and his stoneware and porcelain pieces are held in The Museum of London and at The Victoria & Albert Museum.
The four Martin Brothers’ started making salt-glaze stoneware pots, jugs, vases, tiles and bird and animal sculptures in Fulham in 1873, firing them at Fulham Pottery once a year. In 1877 they moved to Southall, where they continued to manufacture pottery until 1914. Known as Martinware, their individual handmade pieces were often grotesque in style. The Martins were part of the Aesthetism movement which contradicted the Victorian belief that art should promote ethical, moral behaviour. The brothers never had much money but today some of their works are auctioned for hundreds of thousands of pounds. Hammersmith and Fulham Archives’ collection includes a few items made in Fulham and a larger number made in Southall.
Three large ceramic pieces from the Fulham Pottery
The collection also includes a lustre vase made by William de Morgan at Sands End pottery, where he moved in 1888 towards the end of his career. A friend of William Morris and designer for Morris’ firm, de Morgan drew colourful and detailed designs for tiles, vases and dishes. Much of his work is held at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
The larger ceramic pieces are stored on open shelves. There are also multiple boxes full of smaller ceramic pieces loosely wrapped in bubble wrap that need to be inventoried and securely packed. It will take time to open all the boxes to identify all the contents within, so many of these will need to be recalled from DeepStore later, when time permits.
Clocks and mirrors
The collections also include a number of unique and fragile items. Several are difficult to handle as they are extremely fragile or heavy, or both. These include a mirror and wooden clocks. The professional art packing company will wrap these items.
Mirror with elaborate ceramic bird and floral wreath frame
Camerer, Cuss & Co was established by two German immigrants, Andrew Kamerer and David Kuss, in Shepherd’s Bush in 1788. They made watches and clocks and sold jewellery. In 1914, the company name was changed to “Camerer, Cuss & Co” as there was much resentment towards anyone with a German sounding name during the first world war.
Wooden clock made by Camerer, Cuss & Co. The address listed on the back of the clock is 86, Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London, W. 12.
These larger items are on open shelves and need to be securely packed.
Clothes and trophies
The archival collections have various other objects that reflect and commemorate the social history of Hammersmith and Fulham.
There are a few items of clothing. They include a red blazer and a black great coat from Fulham Borough Band, both made of wool. These were donated by Morgan Phillips in 2004. These are carefully packed using unbuffered tissue, Tyvek wrap and folded into extra-large archival boxes per the instructions in Care of Costume and Textile Collections, published by The Museums & Galleries Commission, which is the national advisory body for museums in the United Kingdom.
Detail of Fulham Borough Band great coat
There is also a cabinet full of trophies and prizes awarded by local schools and clubs.
Trophies in cabinet
It’s a bit like moving house!
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham Archives. All rights reserved.
All the archived materials at Lilla Huset need to be documented before they are moved into deep storage at the DeepStore facility. The archivist and her team of volunteers are starting with 38 rolling stacks.
Two sets of rolling archive shelves stacked with large archival boxes
Each stack has between six and nine shelves that reach from the floor to the ceiling. The shelves hold rows upon rows of neatly stacked archival boxes and bound volumes of records. Most of these boxes and volumes have a reference number affixed that was allocated when they were transferred from the town hall or office that created them. These reference numbers are recorded in in a giant Excel spreadsheet, along with the item’s location on the shelf, a brief description, the number of items in the series and the item’s format (archival box, folder, book, etc.). There is also a remarks column, where comments such as preservation and cataloguing status are noted.
Excel spreadsheet on screen showing reference and location information for accessions, including uncatalogued boxes.
When records are moved into deep storage each item will be given a barcode, which will henceforth function as its “call up number”. The archivist will enter the barcodes on the spreadsheet. Later, when the move is complete and all the archives are organized in on the shelves at DeepStore, patrons will once again be able to request records. The archivist will look up the requested record on the spreadsheet, locate the associated barcode, and request the item identified in the barcode be transported from DeepStore to the search room in Hammersmith Library.
Before the move, the archivist and her volunteers need to:
transfer all items that have been in use in the reading room back to the archives
update the “borrowing records” to show the items as returned
reshelve the items on the correct shelves
check the spreadsheet accurately lists all the items on the shelves
Dozens of recently used boxes of deeds, books and rolled maps and a backlog of previously used materials have accumulated in piles at the archives. Reshelving them is time-consuming work.
But it is the next task – checking the spreadsheet references – that takes the most time. It involves climbing up and down a ladder and reconciling the reference numbers typed in the spreadsheet on a laptop with the reference numbers written, printed or scrawled on the thousands of boxes and bound volumes on the shelves. It took the archivist a full day to check four of the stacks. The work goes quicker when a volunteer can climb the ladder and check the numbers that the archivist calls out.
Rolling archive shelves filled with regular and large archival boxes, and rolling ladder used to access upper shelves.
Most of the stacks are in good order. Several simple issues are easy to rectify: Occasionally, the archivist needs to renumber a shelf or correct a few typos in the spreadsheet. Boxes noted as missing on one shelf usually turn up on a subsequently checked shelf and must be returned to the correct place. Volumes that have no reference number sticker on their spine (or no spine at all!) can usually be identified by the reference number lightly pencilled on an inside page and returned to their correct location as determined on the spreadsheet.
But occasionally the items on the shelves simply don’t match the information in the spreadsheet, and this is where things get interesting and sometimes complicated:
Assigning shelf numbers
Some of the items on the shelves are not stored in suitable containers. A set of metal cabinet drawers are sitting in a regular cardboard box with no lid. These are set aside to be rehoused in archival boxes. Three shelves are filled with long cardboard folders containing 1900s paperwork on the construction of new streets. The folders are not rigid and have no labels on the outside identifying the contents. They are also set aside to be rehoused in protective boxes with reference numbers written on the outside. Later, when there is more time, the folders will need to be recalled and catalogued.
Annaig writing reference number on an unmarked volume. One shelf of the long cardboard folders that need to be rehoused is visible in the background.
Boxes and volumes with no identifiable reference numbers must be opened so the archivist can gauge at least a general idea of the item’s date and contents and note them on the spreadsheet. Sometimes the findings are concerning.
The contents of one unmarked box turned out to be burned! The documents are badly blackened but the archival box they have been placed in is in pristine condition. There are no notes on the spreadsheet alongside the box number. We check the surrounding boxes but find no other burned records. We wonder what happened. I imagine a scenario in which a researcher broke the rules and lit a cigarette while browsing through these records. Ash from their cigarette fell onto the papers and started a small fire, which the researcher quickly extinguished before shoving the records back into the box, hoping no one would detect the mistake until many years later when they were long gone…
The Archivist adds a note to the “Remarks” column of the spreadsheet as a reminder to show these documents to the conservators who will be returning to complete their assessment of items in the collections needing special care.
Detail of one of the three burned folders from 1960 found in an archival box
Other times, there are treasures to be found! A large stack of archival boxes are identified only by a small white sticker with a number. The boxes are listed on the spreadsheet but there is no description of the contents. Upon closer inspection, the chalked words “National Registration” can be discerned on one of these boxes. Two other words have been rubbed off and can no longer be read.
Box 765 was marked as uncatalogued on the spreadsheet, but the words “National Registration” were visible on the outside of the box. Upon investigation, the box turned out to contain folders of records from 1941.
The National Registration Act of 1939 led to the creation of a National Register of the population of the United Kingdom. A broad snapshot of the nation, it included the name, sex, date of birth, occupation, address, and marital status of every citizen. It was used to create identity cards – which had to be carried by everyone at all times – and ration books.
Opening the box reveals a set of bound folders containing letters from the 1940s that document the lives and movements of people in World War II. The first letter in the folder is dated 22nd January 1941. It instructs a Mrs W. to return the identity card and ration book of a child no longer in her charge, reminding her that it is a serious offence to retain them. Again, we wonder: what happened? Presumably the child referenced in the letter was one of the more than two million children who were evacuated from metropolitan areas at risk of being bombed during the second world war. Was the child sent home without their documents by accident, or were the documents withheld for a more nefarious reason?
The first letter in the first folder found in the National Registration box is a letter from the National Registration office
The adjacent unmarked boxes are also found to contain binders of correspondence dating from 1940-45. These records tell stories! While not yet catalogued, these letters will almost certainly be valuable to a family researcher or historian. The archivist adds a note to the “Remark” column of the spreadsheet to recall these boxes once the move is complete so their contents can be catalogued and made accessible.
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham Archives. All rights reserved.
Two conservators from the National Conservation Service (NCS) visited the Lilla Huset building last week. Their task: survey the Hammersmith & Fulham archival collections and see what can be done to keep the most valuable and fragile items safe during the upcoming move to deep storage.
Now is the time – before everything is moved and the collection can no longer be viewed as a whole – to assess the condition of the objects.
Most of the Hammersmith & Fulham archives probably do not need conservation work. But some regularly requested items have already been identified as too delicate to be used, and a few collections are very visibly in poor shape. These items will need protective packaging before the move.
This volume from the Hammersmith Borough is large, warped and its pages have detached from the spine, so moving it will require special handlingMore Fulham Vestry records with crumbling spines. Fulham Vestry was the first administrative entity in Fulham. The oldest surviving civil records from the parish date to the early 17th century. Items in this collection are available on microfilms so can be accessed despite the fragile aspect of the original records.
What kind of problems are the conservators looking for?
DeepStore is deep underground in a repurposed salt mine, which is naturally flood and pest-free, and maintains a consistent temperature and humidity. The storage conditions at DeepStore will be excellent. The conservators are looking for issues that may compromise the records when they are transferred to DeepStore.
Traces of previous water damage and accumulations of dust and dirt are visible on some records. The conservators aim to ensure these issues do not pose a major threat and the records are safe to transfer. Crucially, they need to ensure that no infestations or mould are introduced into the DeepStore environment when the records are transferred.
They will also examine the most fragile items of the collection and advise how to package them to ensure long term protection.
Archivist Annaig Boyer examines small, heavy boxes of glass negatives plates. Common from the 1880s to the 1920s, they are now extremely fragile. Conservation rehousing measures and specialist packing will be needed to prevent the brittle glass from cracking and breaking during the move.One of many shelves of Poor Rate Books in the Fulham Vestry Collection. The poor rate was originally a form of local income tax that evolved into a property tax paid by parish householders based on the value of real estate. It funded “public assistance” for those who could not work. It paid for “poorhouses” or “workhouses” for people who were ill, elderly or with disabilities, and orphanages for orphaned children. Money, food and clothes were also given to those who could work but were still in need. House and family historians use these books to identify who occupied listed properties. They can also be used to indicate a householder’s wealth.Giant format Rate Books that will require special packaging to be moved to deep storage. Their immense size and weight make them difficult to handle. Some have been copied to microfilm, though not all.
How can the conservators help?
The NCS is a not-for-profit organisation that provides specialist conservation advice – ‘collections care’ – to heritage organisations such as archives, libraries and museums in the UK and Europe. They can examine and test materials that are soiled, stained or degraded, and treat problems ranging from fire and water damage to mould and pest infestations.
For this project the priorities are to:
List areas of concern
Set aside items that are not fit to move into deep storage
Decide where to move these items for temporary storage. Mouldy, pest-damaged and heavily soiled or contaminated items may need to be quarantined in a special facility. NCS operates a quarantine facility in Hackney which may have space.
Determine recommended course of treatment for affected items (mould remediation, etc.).
Prioritise objects to be treated, according to budgetary constraints.
Inventory items with issues that are fit to be moved into deep storage, but which will need recalling later for treatment, as time and budget allows.
Draw up packaging requirements for fragile items such as glass plate negatives; oversized rolled documents; and bound volumes with crumbling spines, warping and other issues.
Stacks of bound volumes in varying conditions. Professional book restorers can repair badly fragile or damaged books and bound volumes of papers so they can be made accessible to researchers.Archivist Annaig Boyer show conservators Pamela Murray and Lucy Charles a stack of maps and plans that have been covered with thick layers of waterproof material, presumably to protect them from soiling or water damage.
There are an estimated 8,000 items in the collection. Time is limited so the conservators will sample a percentage of the items of concern, and use the data gathered to make recommendations. They will report their findings in a document that will form the basis of an updated preservation policy for the Hammersmith and Fulham Archives.
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham local studies and archives. All rights reserved.
Hammersmith & Fulham houses most of its archives in a storage space on the ground floor of the Lilla Huset Building. Lilla Huset means “Little House” in Swedish. Though not exactly small, the building is dwarfed by The Ark (a soaring glass skyscraper) on one side, and a multistorey construction project on the other. All sit by the Hammersmith Flyover.
The Lilla Huset sandwiched between The Ark and a major construction project
The Lilla Huset archives space is known as “the strong room” as it has a reinforced floor designed to bear the enormous weight of the archives, and is a secure storage facility. It is climate-controlled, meaning the humidity and temperature can be kept low to preserve the objects within. A custom-built space, it has a long bank of rolling archive shelves, rows upon rows of heavy-duty metal shelves and numerous metal and wooden filing cabinets. When entering you are struck by the sweet vanilla scent of old paper (caused by the breakdown of lignin in wood-based paper) and a faint mustiness.
Rolling archive shelves at the Lilla Huset
What is in the archives?
The archives contain the usual records you would expect to find in a local authority archive: administrative records of the council and previous bodies, committee minutes, historical maps, plans, newspapers, photographic prints and negatives, posters, books and birth, death, marriage and cemetery records. Residents and organisations of the borough have deposited the most significant records of their activities. The archives also hold a sizeable and valuable collections of artwork and pottery bequeathed by donors. The records and artefacts date back to the 16th century.
Usually, when researchers and members of the public request records, the archivist pulls some from the most-used collections kept in small storage rooms near the Archives search room at Hammersmith Library. She then locates the rest at Lilla Huset, a little over half a mile away, loads them onto a rolling trolley, and has them delivered by a small van to the Archives search room.
But this is all changing as the strong room at Lilla Huset is closing. The archives will be moved to an offsite storage facility in Cheshire. This is a huge undertaking.
Ceiling high stacks of documents stored in archival boxes on two of the 38 rolling shelves
What needs to move?
Thousands of volumes, and hundreds of green and brown archival boxes containing documents and images need to be placed in moving boxes. Canvases and ceramics must be carefully packed. Maps and other large objects need to be flat-packed. And everything needs to be documented. Drawing up a complete inventory is perhaps the biggest part of the job as between 2004 and 2017 there were not enough staff to maintain the archives catalogue so there is a large backlog of work. The new archivist has the support of a small but stalwart team of volunteers, but many were lost when the archives shut down during COVID and never returned. And a significant number of the tasks can only be performed by trained professionals.
Stacks of paintings by local artists documenting significant places and events in the borough on shelves at the Lilla Huset
There is not enough time before the move to tackle all the uncatalogued materials, but they must be boxed, labelled and documented so they can at some point be recalled, catalogued and made accessible.
Pottery from the Fulham Pottery stacked on shelves at the Lilla Huset. The Pottery was founded in 1672 by John Dwight, who pioneered the production of stoneware in England.
Everything sent to the new archive facility must be documented so it can be retrieved on demand. An archive exists to make its assets usable and accessible. It must be clear what is where in the new facility, or access will simply be lost.
Wooden card cabinet full of index cards that reference materials stored in the archives that document the people, places and events of the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham.Detail of an index card referencing a 1926 photo of Howard Baker saving a shot at Chelsea Football Club
Where is it all going?
The storage facility in Cheshire is called DeepStore. It is deep underground in a salt mine. This means it is dark, maintains a consistent temperature and humidity, and is immune from flooding and pests. Archives degrade quickly when exposed to light, heat, damp, fluctuations in temperature and pests (beetles, moths, silverfish and rodents like to eat the fibres and glues used to make documents) so the mine provides an excellent storage environment. The facility is unlikely to run out of space as enormous amounts of salt continue to be mined every year. The National Archives store some of their materials here.
What does the future hold?
The Hammersmith & Fulham search room and storage rooms are on the first floor of the Hammersmith & Fulham Library. One of the 660 libraries built in the UK by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (his portrait hangs at the top of the stairs), the 1905 building is not an ideal location for a search room and archival storage. Summer temperatures top 40°C, and winter temperatures drop as low as 5°C. These temperatures are extremely uncomfortable for humans, and very damaging to the materials stored there.
The upper floor of the Hammersmith & Fulham Library leading to the search room and two storage rooms
A proposal to move the search room to a new building adjacent to the new Town Hall and Civic Campus is being considered. The area is currently under development and some construction may be complete as early as summer 2024. The details have not yet been hammered out and adaptations will be required to make sure the new space can be used to safely store and make accessible the borough’s archives.
Nevertheless, Hammersmith & Fulham can look forward to a modern new archives facility which can safely store its most requested items and provide comfortable access to its residents and researchers – be they a local resident interested in researching their family tree, an architect needing city planning documents, a historian writing a book about Hammersmith’s illustrious theatres or a film producer researching the famous football teams in Fulham. A proposal is also afoot to incorporate a museum space in the new archive facility, so rotating exhibitions could be mounted from the collections of artwork, pottery, photographs and documents that tell the story of the area.
Written and photographed by Amanda Dixon Leung for Hammersmith & Fulham Local Studies and Archives. All rights reserved.
I work as the Heritage and Black History officer sitting under the Library team with the determination to continue the great work I could already see be seen being done in Hammersmith and Fulham borough. Attending a meeting with leading councillors in the borough in November, indicated to me how much of a forward-looking borough Hammersmith & Fulham is, how seriously black history was being taken and making sure every resident feel seen was to them.
Working with groups within the borough that actually organised the great events I saw had happened, the education department (especially Jan Parnell, Keith Fernandes, Rosie Peters, Shanee Naidoo, and Sally Brooks to name a few), the Race Equality working group( LBHF Staff members Waheeda Soomro, Peter Parkin, Neema Lyimo, and Yvonne Okiyo), Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team(Yvonne and Charis), libraries (Steve, Val, Mandy, Ann, Claire, Cathy and Richard especially) , local schools, and community based organisations like Nubian Life only confirmed that impression.
My role is to make the heritage and history of the borough more easily accessible for borough residents and in general.
This means I deliver educational programs for schools and adults alike. I also do outreach work which involves working with various groups across the borough e.g. older people and young people.
I work closely with various stakeholders and organisations the borough to realise the objectives described above e.g. elected members, officers across the borough, equality leads, libraries, residents, community groups.
One of the core values of Hammersmith & Fulham council is to involve residents more, as well as make sure that all the great history and present work in the borough can be seen and understood easily. So I worked to create a special ‘Celebrating Hammersmith & Fulham: a borough like no other’ chart and online timeline as an ‘one stop shop’ infographic. In this way everyone can see all the great things happening across the borough.
Heritage Trails
During this time I completed the sterling work done by the Events Team and many others, especially Colin Salmon, Catherine Field, on the Black History trail. This was an initiative from the councillors to celebrate the world shaping Black History of the borough that has seen figures such as Bob Marley, Fela Akuti, Mahamta Ghandhi, Amy and Marcus Garvey, Labi Siffre as residents in Hammersmith & Fulham. Four trails were developed in all, the first of which, the first of which can be seen here: Heritage trail 1 | LBHF
I created a timeline detailing Hammersmith & Fulham’s history from 3000BCE where the earliest evidence of Neolithic peoples were starting to populate the Fulham riverside area was discovered until current day. Highlights include the opening of the Westfield shopping centre, Riverside studios and the Chelsea Football Club.
I managed to convince the British Library to loan books out to the borough so pupils can visit locations close by to see them. For example, the first edition of Mary Seacoles memoirs, an illustrious resident, who is buried in the borough and was featured as a Black History character for the month of February – Black historical figure spotlight | LBHF – (her burial place is also part of a trail). Similar opportunities are being explored with the British Museum.
I completed a Black Literature timeline for The British Library. The timeline explores the history of Black literature and writing in Britain in 50 texts. It includes works by writers living and working in Britain, as well as titles first published here and authored by people who were born in former British colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and Americas.
The aim is to feature more residents great work in the future and encourage residents to lead as this chart is updated at regular intervals. Celebrating H&F: A borough like no other | LBHF
I also collaborate with different teams across the council to deliver events across the borough that promote all dimensions of the boroughs rich heritage.
Why race equality matters by Professor Kehinde Andrews Monday 7 February
Race equality within the Metropolitan Police by Superintendent Paul Wilson Tuesday 8 February
Hearing from an LGBTQ+ perspective by Yemisi Ilesanmi Wednesday 9 February
My life experience in the NHS by Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu (OBE) Friday 11 February
Everyone who attended the sessions agreed they were inspiring and eye opening in turn.
Alex Wheatle Interview
I arranged an interview with award winning writer Alex Wheatle. Alex Wheatle has written 17 books to date including Brixton Rock, Liccle Bit, Cane Warriors and his most recent, Kemosha of the Caribbean. Alex’s life had been featured on Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series on BBC. In the interview, Alex tells us about his career and how An Inspector Calls and Robin Hood were his favourite books in school and what he is reading these days.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s day happens in March and the theme for 2022 was Break the Bias. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team organised lots of amazing events including an International Women’s SLT Panel Event and Equalities Lunch and Learn. I helped arrange a panel discussion, chaired by Cllr Fennimore(H&F Deputy Leader) with acclaimed speaker Angela Saini, author and TV presenter, along with Dame Elizabeth Aniuonwu.
I produced content that can be sued in local school and by teachers, or for anyone who wishes to learn more about their local heritage. These include History lessons, and monthly Black History characters. I also worked closely with a number of schools and teachers to give talks and other events.
I participated in the borough’s presenting sessions “The power of representation” in January (organised by Jan Parnell and Keith Fernandes) which explored how diversity can equip our children for future challenges giving them pride in the place they live.
I invited Rosie Peters, Deputy Head, from Wendell Park school to speak at a British Museum event I had been invited to speak at titled, “Surfacing African and African Diaspora stories’. Rosie spoke so eloquently for her school, for the great work being done in the borough, that the Museum said it would happy to work more closely with schools on various projects bringing history to life for children in Hammersmith & Fulham.
I spoke at a Primary school event for History and Geography teachers where they made aware of all the resources that are available from the Heritage office (including lesson plans aimed at involving children in trails and so on). The idea of how the Queens Platinum Jubilee could be an opportunity to discuss life in Britain over the last 70 years was discussed and aligned this with the various celebrations across the borough.
I also gave a talk to Fulham Cross Academy at an outstanding event organised by Vishanee Naidoo and Sally Brooks. At the meeting made staff aware of all the great opportunities to make pupils proud of the rich heritage of the borough and in doing so increase their confidence.
I made contact with all the football clubs in the borough Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers to tie in their activities with local residents, schools and support local initiatives more closely.
Honouring our Resident’s Achievements
The unveiling of a plaque to the memory of notable, Esther Bruce, took place on the 10 March with Nubian Life residents attending. Esther’s autobiography, The Sun Shone on Our Side of the Street: Aunt Esther’s Story – was the first biography to chronicle the life of a working-class Black, British woman.
One of the most outstanding examples of resident self organisation is typified by the work of the Nubian Life centre. Working with its Executive director, Jazz Browne, an interview was arranged with a passenger of the Empire Windrush, Jack Crosby. He spoke of his experience coming over to the UK and had many positive messages for the younger generations in Hammersmith & Fulham which will be available soon.
In addition, acclaimed writers Michael Rosen, Salena Godden have agreed to speak in the borough about their work at some point in the future. The film maker Steve McQueen also said he is open to the idea of speaking in Hammersmith & Fulham.
On 28th April at 19:00 I will be talking about the work I have done to make Hammersmith & Fulham great history more accessible to all, as well as my work for The Guardian, British Library, British Museum, and National Gallery. You can get a ticket here.
Watch this space…
Gaverne Bennett, LBHF Heritage and Black History Officer
They also created lots of exciting events and talks with prolific authors as well as highlighting some of Hammersmith and Fulham’s most notable residents. Please have a look at our Eventbrite for upcoming events
Chat with Alex Wheatle
5 January 2022
Alex Wheatle MBE is a British novelist and has written many critically acclaimed books including Brixton Rock, East of Acre Lane, Liccle Bit and Kemosha of the Caribbean. Wheatle’s books have been translated into French, Italian, Urdu, Welsh, German, and Japanese. Alex Wheatle lives in London. He was awarded an MBE for services to literature in 2008
Prof. Andrews is a British academic and author specialising in Black Studies. He is the director of the Centre for Critical Social Research, founder of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity, and co-chair of the UK Black Studies Association. Andrews is the first Black Studies professor in the UK and led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe at Birmingham City University.
The unveiling of a Blue Plaque to the memory of notable, Esther Bruce, who was born in Fulham, one of the first Black Londoners to be born in Britain has been honoured with a blue plaque near Charing Cross Hospital. The event was attended by Nubian Life residents.
Chat with Dame Elizabeth Aniuonwu and Angela Saini
Tue, 8 March 2022 at 19:00 – 20:30
For International Women’s week in March organised by the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, we heard from acclaimed speaker Angela Saini, author and TV presenter, to come along and speak on Breaking the bias along with Dame Elizabeth Aniuonwu. See a review here
Chat with BBC TV presenter Professor David Olusoga
All the football clubs in the borough – Chelsea, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers To tie in their activities with local residents, schools and support local initiatives more closely.
Working with its Executive director, Jazz Browne, an interview was arranged with a passenger of the Empire Windrush, Jack Crosby. He spoke of his experience coming over to the UK and had many positive messages for the younger generations in Hammersmith & Fulham.
H&F Libraries and Archives 
You must be logged in to post a comment.