Making our collections more accessible…
Discover more about Croydon’s heritage through our collections
Learn more about each collection and how to get access online and in person
Museum Collection
The Museum Collection consists of the Borough art collection of around 2,000 artworks, over 500 oral histories, Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon archaeological artefacts, an eclectic collection of social and cultural history objects , and 200 items from the Riesco Collection of Chinese ceramics.
The Museum collection is under the management of the Museum Service.
Handling Collection
The Handling Collection consists of around 300 objects dating from the Victorian period onwards. The majority of the objects are historical, with some being duplicates or replicas of the archive and museum collection.
This collection is used for education, school visits and handling sessions in the galleries and/or for events/workshops.
The Handling collection is under the management of the Museum Service.
If you would like a box for your school or community group please email us to arrange:
museum@croydon.gov.uk
For public events involving Handling Collection see our ‘What’s On’ page
Archives & Local History Collection
The Borough Archive contains over 1200 unique collections (over 138k items) relating to the London Borough of Croydon, its predecessor bodies and the diverse community it now serves. The Local History Collection includes published materials relating to the history of Croydon.
Open by appointment Wed and Fri 11-1pm, 2-4pm.
Walk-ins welcome for open access resources if there is availability.
For more information on how to book, visit our service update.
Croydon Archives is under the management of Croydon Libraries.
You can find out more here on the website and on our shared social media accounts @museumofcroydon and @croydonlibs