RIBA to move part of its collection to City of London archive during headquarters refurb

RIBA will move a substantial part of its library collection to the City of London’s archive facility during the refurbishment of the institute’s Marylebone headquarters.

A deal agreed between RIBA and the London Archives last month will see some of the most significant items in the collection temporarily relocated from 10 April.

RIBA’s 66 Portland Place headquarters, where the library is currently relocated, will close from 1 June this year to allow the start of a £60m refurbishment designed by Benedetti Architects.

> Also read: RIBA headquarters to close from June next year while refurb is carried out

The scheme, expected to take around two and a half years, will include the creation of a new centre to house the institute’s four million items, one of the largest architectural collections in the world.

A substantial part of the collection will be made available in the meantime at the London Archives, formerly known as the London Metropolitan Archives and based in Clerkenwell, from summer 2025.

However, some materials currently available on the shelves of the RIBA library will need to be ordered in advance from the London Archives’ storage rooms, with further arrangements to be announced later this year.

Some material, including the Robert Elwall Photographs Collection, will also be housed at a separate site in Stockwell, south London, where access will be made available by appointment.

RIBA executive director of architecture programmes and collections Oliver Urquhart Irvine said the collaboration with the London Archives would preserve access to the collection while “inspiring new discoveries”. 

“Together, we will unlock exciting opportunities that showcase the dynamic interplay of architecture, history, and culture,” he said.

The City of London’s culture, heritage and libraries committee chairman Munsur Ali said the partnership would “create new possibilities for research, learning, and public programming that showcases the richness of these collections”.

Other items in the collection include a property deed bearing the signature of William Shakespeare, a 1486 edition of Vitruvius’ De Architectura and John Shute’s 1563 First and Chief Groundes of Architecture, considered the first English architecture book.

The refurbishment of the grade II*-listed 66 Portland Place will also add a new cafe, bigger lifts, enhanced event spaces and a relocated shop.