Heritage & Archives
We are open to the public by appointment from Monday to Friday 10am – 4.00pm and will be happy to provide access to our archives and collections except when the Hall is in use for events.
We also provide a free enquiry service, and information leaflets about the history of the Company and its Hall are available on request. For more detailed or specialist enquiries, researchers are welcome to come to the Hall to undertake research themselves. Please contact us for an appointment or send your enquiry to our Archivist at this address
Please note that the collections and archive are private resources. All archives are normally closed for 20 years from the date of creation and those relating to individuals are closed for 100 years
Researchers tracing past Drapers and apprentices should first consult the Records of London’s Livery Companies Online (ROLLCO): www.londonroll.org. This online resource provides information about apprenticeships and admissions to the Freedom. Having established that a person was a Draper, contact the Archivist for potential further information about a person’s career within the Company, though the archives will not reveal personal or business information about any individual.
Enquiries relating to the Company’s archive of its former Irish estate should be addressed in the first instance to PRONI. The catalogue to this archive is available online through PRONI’s website and an information sheet is here: www.nidirect.gov.uk/publications/introduction-drapers-company-colondonderry-estate-archive
We are delighted to provide tours of Drapers’ Hall, by appointment, for groups of up to 40 people, conducted by the Archivist. There is no formal charge for tours, but visitors are asked to donate at least £5 per person to the Drapers’ Charitable Fund. Individuals can apply to join a pre-arranged tour. Each tour takes approximately 1¾ hours
We do not conduct tours between the end of July and mid-September as the Hall is closed each year for essential maintenance and conservation
If you are interested in booking a tour contact the Events Team on 020 7448 1304 or email banqueting@thedrapers.co.uk. We look forward to meeting you!
