HSBC Archive
http://www.hsbc.com/about-hsbc/history/hsbc-s-archives

Date of Trip: November 2013

Source: Takahiro Yamamoto (t.yamamoto1@lse.ac.uk) 

Location:

HSBC Group Archives
HSBC Holdings plc
8 Canada Square
London
E14 5HQ
United Kingdom 

Getting started:
Appointment only. You first need to email their archivists with research subjects and then they will run the search for you on their catalogue, which is not publicly available. They will send you the list of relevant documents found on the catalogue, and if you want to see them they can make a booking.

Getting there:
Take a DLR tube to Star Lane from Bank. On making an appointment you will receive the instructions on how to get there. Be sure to print it out, because you will need it to guide yourself to the archive.

Opening hours:

9:30-16:30 on weekdays. They will book you in for a day.

Working condition:
You get a well lit, large desk in a room with bookshelves of company-related materials which you are free to consult. Archivists are there too in case you need to order more documents. The storage is in the same building and they fetch documents quickly. I don't think they had limits on the number of document orders per day.

Policy on technology:
Laptops and cameras are allowed. I think there was a power plug too. Wifi is also provided with a one-day guest account and password to their network, which was fairly fast.

Particulars:

Bring your own lunch and a water bottle as they recommend. There is nothing in the vicinity.