Local Studies Centre

Redevelopment closure period

The Valence House site is to undergo a £7 million refurbishment. It closed on Saturday 22 December 2007 and will re-open in May 2010.

The whole development project is very large and covers renovating the museum, creating modern strong rooms for the collections, building a new Visitor Centre, and landscaping the grounds.

While we are very sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause to users, there is a great deal of behind the scenes work needed to ensure a successful project. We hope you will be patient as the new local studies facilities are guaranteed to be magnificent.

Owing to work on the redevelopment, the Local Studies enquiry service (including photograph enquiries) has been suspended until further notice.

In order to help you continue your research during the closure period, the following information will be available to personal callers at Barking Learning Centre:

Microfilms of the Barking Advertiser/Recorder 1888-2003 and the Dagenham Post 1928-2003. Copies of both these titles for the current year are available in hard copy at Barking Learning Centre
Barking and Dagenham electoral registers, 1965 to date will be available on request in Barking Learning Centre. Electoral registers 1915-1939 (a few small gaps in the date run) are available at Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Tel: 01245 244644
Printed books which provide 'how to' guidance for family research will be available on open access in Barking Learning Centre
People's network computers will be available for use in Barking Learning Centre and our leaflet Internet sites for Family History will be available in the Local Studies leaflet rack
Please note that, at the moment, booking a computer can be done in person at Barking Learning Centre. Access is allocated in one hour periods which are operated by using a library card. If you do not have a library card for Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, or Waltham Forest, please ensure that you bring proof of your address on your first visit. Otherwise you will only be able to have 15 minutes access as a guest user
Information sheets on a wide range of local historical topics will be placed in the Local Studies leaflet rack in Barking Learning Centre
Other local studies material will not be available for the public to research themselves. You will be able to find resources in other places:
- The General Register Office births, deaths and marriages index (1837-1999) can be found at Redbridge Local Studies Library, Tel: 020 8708 2417
- Historic newspapers are available at the Newspaper Library, Colindale Avenue, London N9. Tel: 020 7412 7353
- Microfilms of parish material are available at Essex Record Office, Wharf Road, Chelmsford, Tel: 01245 244644
- Our holdings of maps are mainly Ordnance Survey and, depending on exact coverage, may well be available in neighbouring boroughs' local studies libraries. It would be sensible to check specifically in advance of a visit. Some of the borough's libraries hold local Alan Godfrey maps for sale; please ask at your local library for more information
- Many of our remaining tithe maps, estate maps and plans are copies of material held at the Essex Record Office (address as above)
- A broad selection of our photographs can be found on our own Borough's website

Should you need help

We hope this information will be useful to you but, if you get really stuck, every Thursday morning between 10am - 12 noon, a member of the Local Studies team will be on hand at Barking Learning Centre for those of you with a question about your research.

Vouchers for access to the 1901 census and Find my Past websites will be on sale at this time.

We look forward to welcoming you back in our new facilities early in 2010.

Contact

Linda Rhodes

Local Studies Librarian

Local Studies Centre

Valence House Museum

Becontree Avenue

Dagenham

RM8 3HT

Tel: 020 8270 6896

Fax: 020 8270 6897

Email: localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk|