[Bell Historians] Whitechapel records post 1945

[John Arthur]

Oliver,

As this work must/should have required a Faculty have you not tried the
Diocesan Records which should have the Faculty papers. There might be
something in them?

It does of course rely on them being stored and catalogued! But worth a try?

John Arthur.

On Tue, 15 Sept 2026 at 16:03, Chris Pickford via Bell-historians <
bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> wrote:

> A brief response to Oliver’s email. I am writing with two hats on – as
> current archivist at Loughborough, but primarily as an archives
> professional with a wider perspective on the matter (and author of the
> original “Standard for Access to Archives” -
> https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/resource-cahg/a-standard-for-access-for-archives
> ).
>
>
>
> There is no automatic right to access to archives in private ownership –
> nor any obligation on owners to make them available for study. Where
> archives have been placed in the care of a public repository (such as the
> London Archives) it is usual for there to be public access to at least
> parts of the collection alongside an expectation that the rest will become
> available for use at some future date. The standard arrangement is for the
> owner and the repository to agree on access terms that protect the former’s
> interests (and comply with considerations such as GDPR and commercial
> confidentiality) while also allowing access in line with the repository’s
> need to justify its public expenditure on the care and management of the
> archive.
>
>
>
> In that context, the arrangement for the Whitechapel archives at LMA is
> very much in line with standard policies for such collections – and, in my
> view, the balance of access and closure is probably about right. Bear in
> mind that many business archives are lost altogether when business close
> down or go into receivership etc, so we should be grateful to Alan and
> Kathryn Hughes and the London Archives for working together to ensure that
> this particular archive is preserved as it is. It is probably not helpful
> to enter into public debate on the balance of access when, in fact, such a
> large part of the archive IS available for public use.
>
>
>
> As it happens, I’m going to London tomorrow for a day’s Whitechapel
> research!
>
>
>
> *Chris Pickford*
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>
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