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.
In order to help you continue your research during the closure period, we will be making our most popular services available to you at Barking Learning Centre:
- A microfilm reader will be available in Barking Learning Centre, together with films of the Barking Advertiser (1888 - June 2003) and the Dagenham Post (1928 - June 2003). The Librarians will run the booking system and help resolve any difficulties users might have. The phone number is 020 8724 8723. Newspapers 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
- Many photographs are available on the borough's website and Valence House staff will be able to process requests for reproductions of these as usual. Please email localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk
- Other local studies material will not be available for the public to research themselves. However, Valence House staff will be able to access this material during the closure and will provide the usual email/telephone/letter enquiry service. This is for specific references and up to a maximum of 30 minutes staff time. Staff resources will not be available to cover research of a general nature
- 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 regarding 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.
