Getting started
This is the online catalogue of the Antiquarian Horological Society Archives. To find material held in our archive collections, please use the search box on this page or select an option to browse. We recommend you add an asterisk to the end of search terms so that plurals are returned. To find out more about the AHS Archives, and how to get access to them, please read on.
Background
The AHS Archives held at the Society’s 4 Lovat Lane headquarters, which run to approximately 80 linear metres, comprise collections of original material and research work assembled by people with expertise in a field relating to the art and history of time measurement. Many of these people were or are members of the AHS.
In some cases, these archive collections were donated or bequeathed to the AHS by their creators. In other cases, later owners of such collections gave them to the Society. We group and catalogue AHS Archives collections wherever possible under the name of the person who first assembled the material. Later owners are recorded where known.
Items in the AHS Archives consist primarily of research papers and notes, manuscripts and typescripts, copies of source material, photographs (in print, film, glass plate, and digital), catalogues, albums, notebooks, newspaper and journal cuttings and articles, records of repair, postcards, and indexes of any of the above. This list is not exhaustive.
Cataloguing our large collection, amassed over several decades, is an ongoing process. We are continually working to add more descriptions here. We also occasionally acquire additional archive collections.
Getting access: in person
The AHS Archives catalogued here are held at our headquarters building in the City of London. In-person access is offered at the discretion of the AHS Archivist in consultation with the Council of the Society. The Archives have no set opening hours, and all visits are strictly by appointment. Charges apply (see below).
To request an in-person visit, please email archives@ahsoc.org. In your email, please include contact information and details of the specific research interest for which access is required, as well as the material you would like to see. The Archivist may ask for a supporting reference, such as from an academic supervisor or equivalent specialist.
Owing to limited resources, appointments are not normally possible at short notice, and you might need to wait for up to several weeks before being able to attend. It is not possible to make appointments by telephone.
The AHS Archives are for reference only. We do not allow documents to be borrowed. Access to the Archives Room involves two flights of stairs. Visitors unable to use the stairs can be accommodated in a room with step-free access, but more notice might be required to set up invigilation there and the environment is noisier than the Archives Room. Limits may be placed on the quantity of records that can be consulted at any one time. Only one researcher at a time will normally be permitted to visit.
All researchers are required to complete and sign a Reader Registration Form in advance of their visit.
Getting access: remote
If you find material in the catalogue which you wish to interrogate further, but cannot visit in person to see, we provide a remote enquiry service, which may include the provision of images of relevant material. Charges apply (see below). Owing to limited resources, there may be an appreciable delay between a request being made and the Archivist being able to supply information or copies of material.
Images will be provided for non-commercial research and private study only. We may refuse to make images available of certain items. Reproduction of any supplied images in any medium is prohibited. Researchers will be asked to complete and sign a Reader Registration Form before material is supplied.
Getting access: online
A small amount of material held in the AHS Archives is provided online through this catalogue. For example, the Frances Tennant photographic archive of painted dials has been digitised, and low-resolution images are included in the catalogue entries. We aim to add more digitised archival material to the catalogue as resources allow.
Restrictions to access
We try to provide the widest possible access to the archive collections we hold, but we may restrict access to vulnerable or damaged items to prevent further deterioration. Where possible, a copy will be made available. In addition, restrictions might be applied owing to the sensitive or personal content of a collection. Where we deem it appropriate, we may withhold or redact information in a collection. We may also restrict access to uncatalogued material. It is likely that archival material requested which has to be restricted for this reason will be given priority in subsequent cataloguing activity.
Charges
For any enquiry which can be answered by the Archivist quickly and solely by access to material already digitised, there is no charge. Time spent searching for material, preparing and sending images, corresponding further with the researcher, and supervising in-person visits is charged for as follows.
Searching for material, preparing and sending images, and correspondence:
- AHS members: up to two hours (in aggregate) in any one calendar year – free. Thereafter, £30 per hour.
- Non-members: £30 per hour (minimum charge of £30).
Supervising access in person:
- AHS members: up to six hours (i.e. one day or two half-days) in any one calendar year – free. Thereafter, £30 per hour.
- Non-members: £30 per hour.
These charges are applied to offset direct costs incurred to us in providing remote and in-person access. Owing to limited resources, we may refuse complex and/or voluminous requests.
To find out more about AHS membership and the many advantages it brings, please visit www.ahsoc.org/contact/join/
Self-service photography
Photography by visiting researchers of items in the AHS Archives is generally allowed, although we may restrict photography of certain items. AHS members may do this free of charge. Non-members will be charged a daily fee of £10. All such photography shall be for non-commercial research and private study only. Reproduction of any images in any medium is prohibited.
Supply of high-resolution scans
We might be able to provide high-resolution scans of items in the archive collections depending on an assessment of their copyright and condition status, and on the intended use of the image. We will not provide such scans if doing so might damage the item, or if we believe the item is in copyright held by another party, or if we cannot readily determine the copyright status. Please contact the Archivist if you wish to request a scan. We will charge a fee for providing scans. This is calculated on a case-by-case basis. We will always advise of the fee and any conditions before carrying out the work.
We do not normally provide explicit permission to reproduce images we provide. It is the responsibility of the researcher to assess the copyright situation in each case and to comply with all relevant legislation. We will provide any information we can to help the researcher do this.
Quoting from material
We do not normally provide explicit permission to quote from archival material we hold. It is the responsibility of the researcher to assess the copyright situation in each case and to comply with all relevant legislation. We will provide any information we can to help them do this. It is worth noting that many unpublished documents in archive collections such as the AHS Archives are still in copyright and will remain so until at least 31 December 2039. Any quotation or reference should be attributed to the Antiquarian Horological Society Archives, citing the relevant collection and the reference code and title of the item.
Additional AHS archive repositories
Besides the archive collections held at 4 Lovat Lane and catalogued here, the AHS has two further significant repositories of archival material. Firstly, we have some material lodged at the Guildhall Library, managed by The London Archives. TLA has its own access arrangements, and you can find more about its collections and how to use them here.
Secondly, we offer access elsewhere on our website to a wide range of digitised material not held in the AHS Archives. Some is available to the public while other material is offered to AHS members only. For more information, see our AHS Public Resources page.