Brent Archive

Archive Search Room List of Service Charges 2026/2027

You are welcome to drop in and use the materials available in the search room. These are:

• local pamphlet boxes
• local history reference books
• local history society publications
• directories
• Electoral registers

Researchers can view items held in our off site store by requesting it in advance, please allow 3 working days. Please search the catalogue to see what we hold in the store.

To make a request call 020 8937 3600 or email museum.archives@brent.gov.uk

Service charges

Printing and Photocopying (non-collection material)

Copies from microfilm

Scanning

Some restrictions may apply to material which is available for scanning, please speak to staff in the first instance.

Use of personal camera

Digital copies

All enquiries relating to digital images should be sent to museum.archives@brent.gov.uk, FAO digital images.

Research Service

Initial 15 minutes is free, then £32 per hour (or part thereof) for a maximum of 2 hours. A quote will be given after an initial 15 minute consultation, no research will begin until quote is agreed.

Archive collection

Brent Archives holds the records of Brent Council and its predecessors, including council minutes and building plans, as well as historical maps and street directories, electoral registers, school records, and an extensive collection of photographs and postcards.

Our local history collections include a large reference library collection, and local newspapers dating back to 1870. We also collect the records of local groups, organisations and individuals.

Online collection

We have a number of online resources available:

• Brief history of Brent and the local areas
• The online catalogue, including our Image and Photograph collection.
• View films from the collection online through the London Screen Archives.

You can access local history information free of charge.

Brent Museum and Archives strives to do our best to abide by copyright legislation whilst providing access to our wonderful collections to the Brent community and wider public.

While many photographs, audio-visual recordings and paper records in the collection have been donated directly from Brent Council or have transferred copyright to Brent Museum and Archives, a great deal of the items in our collection still have copyright ownership outside of our scope.

In some cases the original copyright holder, or their successor, is known and named in our catalogue. This information is easily accessible and can be provided upon request. This is not the case for all items in the collection. For example, it is near impossible to obtain copyright information for postcards published by early twentieth century companies. Brent Museum and Archives will always carry out due diligence in obtaining information Rights ownership but there will be instances where the copyright status is unknown or unverifiable. These are identified as ‘orphan works.’ If you would like further information into how copyright affects you or your use of items from the collection, email: museum.archives@brent.gov.uk

Using archive material

If you wish to use an image in Brent Museum and Archives collection you will be charged a 'reproduction fee' providing permission to reproduce images which we have digitised and supplied. In the case of images that are under our copyright or are copyright-free, the 'reproduction fee' is treated as a 'copyright fee'. It is important to note that gaining copyright permission not held by Brent Museum and Archives is the responsibility of the user and not Brent Museum and Archives. A reprographics form must be signed as part of the purchasing process; this can be done both in the search room and electronically via email.

Images may not be reproduced, published or distributed in any format without the permission of Brent Museum and Archives. Any items from the collection that are used, following permission being granted, must be credited with the caption “Thanks to Brent Museum and Archives”

Should you publish a book using material from our collection, we would be grateful for a copy of the book or programme, or an off-print of the article, to be added to the local studies collection.

We are not in a position to offer legal advice on copyright issues relating to private collections such as prints or postcards but will do our best to help with all reprographic enquiries.

Charges

Reproduction costs and charges vary depending on use. Discounts may be available for students, registered charities and community groups. We will also provide a discount for requests of more than 5 images. For any reprographic fee enquiries, email: museum.archives@brent.gov.uk

We do not provide a printed photographic service. All images are available as digital files only. Should you wish to have copies of archival records visitors are welcome to purchase the daily non-flash photography fee of £9.50. This provides permission to photograph documents in the search room in accordance with data protection legislation.

We understand that artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool when writing enquiries or information requests.

If you use AI, please review your request before sending it to us. AI-generated questions can sometimes be broader than necessary or ask for more information than you need. Please make sure your request clearly reflects the information you are looking for.

If a request is too wide to be answered within our free or paid research capacity, we will provide advice on how to refine it.

AI-generated requests can also be lengthy, repetitive, or include information that is not relevant to the enquiry. This can make it harder for our staff to identify exactly what information you need and may delay our response.

To help us respond as quickly as possible, please keep your enquiry clear, focused and relevant.

Even if you have not used AI, we may still contact you to clarify your request before we can proceed.