St Albans Borough Archive

Town Hall, around 1911
St Albans Museums (ref Px8264)

Online via the HALS website

The St Albans Borough Archive is an important and extensive collection of over 9,500 items relating to the city’s history dating from the medieval period to the late 20th century. Using the collection has proved frustrating as the key finding aid produced by William Le Hardy in the 1940s does not match the standard of modern catalogues.

Help is now at hand. The archivists at Herts Archives & Local Studies (HALS), where the collection is held, have published a catalogue that it is available online. Moreover, new material uncovered during the process has been added to the catalogue (for example, the 1924 Housing Survey papers highlighted in the Society’s May 2017 newsletter).

To search the collection, click here for HALS’s online catalogue, enter your search term in the box marked ‘Search shop and collections …’ Then click on ‘Advanced’: in the boxes enter your date range as needed. Most importantly though, under ‘Search for or within’, enter ‘SBR*’. This term ensures you will only search the Borough archive.

If you find something of interest, please contact HALS to arrange a time to view the material. We recommend you contact them at least 48 hours in advance of your proposed visit as the collection is stored off-site.

Phone 0300 123 4049 or
Email hals.enquiries@hertfordshire.gov.uk