Stationers’ Company Archive
The Archive holds the administrative records of the Company since it received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1557.
Records in the Archive include:
Court Books, 1602 to the present day
Membership records, 1555 to the present day
The Stationers' Company Registers 1554-1842 (Copyright records for the period 1842-1924 are deposited at The National Archives.)
Financial and legal documents
Photographs and ephemera
How to Access the Stationers’ Company Archive
Our Reading Room is open to the public. Opening hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10.00-17.00.
Our Archive and Reading Room are housed in the Tokefield Centre, a seventeenth-century book warehouse which has been adapted to meet international archive repository standards while preserving the fabric of a historic building.
Unfortunately the reading-room is not wheelchair accessible, as there is a single step to access the building, but we are working to address this. In the meantime, please contact the archivist (archivist@stationers.org) should access present a problem, and we will arrange for you to view material elsewhere in the building (Stationers’ Hall itself is now wheelchair accessible). The Tokefield Centre has a gender neutral toilet.
Researchers are asked to complete a registration form on their first visit, and to bring along two forms of identification.
This information is collected for security purposes only, The registration form may be downloaded here; please note the list of acceptable forms of ID.
We aim to provide open access to our collections, so please contact us directly if these ID requirements pose a problem, and we will do our best to accommodate your individual circumstances.
Looking to book an appointment?
Access is by appointment only. Please contact the archivist at least one week prior to your intended visit, with as much information as possible about your intended research and any additional requirements you may have, to ensure that we can help you make the most of your visit.
Members of the Company are not required to register
All users of the Reading Room will be required to sign in, and to abide by the Reading Room Regulations, which you can view here. Access to our Archive is free of charge and is open to all researchers, but it is conditional on your acceptance of these regulations.