The Rothschild Archive maintains a research centre in the City of London. Our Reading Room is open to bona fide researchers, by prior appointment only, between 10.00am and 16.15pm, Monday to Friday.
UK public holidays are observed. The Archive does not close for lunch, Researchers should also note that on occasion it may be necessary to close the Reading Room early or at short notice.
Contact us first about your research
Researchers wishing to consult material in the Archive should first contact the archivist with details of their research proposal. All researchers are required to register with The Rothschild Research Forum, providing two written references in support of their application in advance of their visit. If you are not already a member, please register here »
Request an appointment with us
Once accepted as a member of The Rothschild Research Forum, you may request an appointment with us to consult original sources. Archive material dated after 1945 is not generally available to researchers. Applications to consult some parts of the collection that are available after this date must be made to the archivist. Researchers are required to sign a copy of our Research Agreement on their first visit. See also our Reading Room policy.
Planning your visit
Researchers intending to visit are advised to contact us well in advance to reserve a place in our Reading Room, as the number of places is limited.
Registered members of the Rothschild Research Forum have acess to the online Guide to the collections of The Rothschild Archive.
The majority of the collections in London are stored offsite; researchers are requested to identify the reference numbers of material they wish to see in advance of their visit, giving us at least one week's notice to ensure material can be retrieved.
It is not possible to request bulk orders for large numbers of volumes or boxes; the archivists will advise on what may be consulted at any one time. Researchers are asked to bear this in mind when planning their research with us, as they may need to make more than one visit in the course of their research.
For information about copying and photography of documents, please see our Copying Policy.
