Records relating to the history of the Science Museum

The Z archive documents the history of the Science Museum and its activities, beginning from its origins as the South Kensington Museum.

It contains a mixture of contemporary internal papers, corporate histories, working documents, ledgers, reports and minutes, catalogues and exhibition guides, newsletters and newspaper cuttings, museum events and staff activities, building plans, photographs and films. It currently comprises approximately 100 linear metres.

The archive has been put together in a piecemeal structure over the years. As internal documents became outdated, various staff have transferred them into the archive based on their historical interest. Thus, some of the series are inconsistent and fragmented.

The large collection of photographs can be found in Z/111. The photographs depict staff, building construction, galleries, exhibitions, events and more from the museum’s earliest history. This collection has its own separate listing.

Certain files were sent to the Public Records Office (now The National Archives) in the 1970s and then returned in 1988. These have a separate listing as ED 79.