Bishopsgate Institute

Love how zines keep community voices alive and thriving through creativity and collaboration. They’re a powerful way to remix history and make it relevant today.

What a lovely way to connect with the past through personal stories. Our own collections also hold rich archives that celebrate diverse voices and histories, we love seeing others just like it.

Reading Room | Bishopsgate Institute The Reading Room is separate to the Researchers’ Service, so if you’d like to look at our special collections and archives, you’ll need this instead https:

Somewhere free, quiet, and right next to Liverpool Street? 👀

Whether you’ve got a deadline looming, are polishing off a chapter on your lunch break, or hunting for a calm spot to do some work, our new Reading Room is open to you.

👋 https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/activity/reading-room/

Great to see this coming together in Glasgow, always something special about folks from across archives getting in the same room to share what they’ve been up to.

Love this, it’s always a joy to stumble across gems like this in the archives. Looking through the past can be unexpectedly funny, surprising and oddly familiar all at once.

251002 An Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Literature | Bishopsgate Institute Part historical overview and part literary analysis, this course will examine LGBTQIA+ literature through the decades. Beginning with “hidden histories” of

New 6-week online course exploring LGBTQIA+ literature with @emilygarside.bsky.social 📚

From hidden histories & the liberation era to the AIDS crisis & contemporary voices, discover the texts that shaped, and were shaped by, the queer community.

🗓️ 2 Oct - 6 Nov
💻 Book: https://bit.ly/42gQgaA

Exciting news for Bowie fans everywhere. Archives like these offer incredible insight into the creative process and the stories behind cultural icons. We hold many collections that celebrate similar artistic legacies.

Hello Jon, lovely to meet you here. Your work connecting art and community really resonates with much of what we do at Bishopsgate. Wishing you all the best in your projects and travels.

Final chance to book tickets. ⏰

Join us at Bishopsgate Institute to relive the grandeur that was Gay News, with photographer Bob Workman & journalist Keith Howes. Discover the stories, images & icons from the queer 70s & 80s.

📅 24 Sep at 19:00
🎟️ 🔗 https://bit.ly/4mVQ2OD

Campaigns by UK FETISH ARCHIVE | Everpress Discover unique designs by UK FETISH ARCHIVE on Everpress. Shop high-quality t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and more from talented independent artists!

Shirts celebrating and supporting the UK Fetish Archive @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social available now!

everpress.com/profile/uk-f...

Ever wanted to take a piece of the UK Fetish Archive home with you to play?

Now's your chance...

Limited edition tees - printed to order, 30 days only.

📦 Don’t make us beg. https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/archives/uk-fetish-archive-merch/

Wearing history has never felt quite like this. 🖤

251001 Under the Counter Sex, Film & Soho’s Hidden Economy | Bishopsgate Institute Between 1960 and 1980, a thriving—yet secretive—trade in short, sexually explicit films existed in Britain. Produced on 8mm film using semi-professional eq

Behind closed doors. Beneath the counter. 📽️

Join us for the launch of Under the Counter – a new archive uncovering Britain’s hidden 8mm film economy (1960–80). With live projection, original materials & a pop-up Soho backroom.

🗓️ 1 Oct, 7-9pm
Buy tickets 👉 https://bit.ly/4m6Ruw9

October at Bishopsgate is full of possibilities.

Whether you’re here to explore hidden histories or pick up a new skill, this month’s line-up has something to spark your curiosity.

Browse the full programme and book your place. https://bit.ly/3Ihr9xs

#WhatsOnLondon #LondonEvents

Looks like a brilliant read. Queer histories from this era are often overlooked. Excited to explore the stories it uncovers. We see echoes of these lives in our archives too. 🏳️‍🌈📚

This sounds like a powerful conversation. We're proud to hold archives that document these stories and the ongoing fight for recognition. Looking forward to this event! 🏳️‍⚧️

250924 From Buggery to Blasphemy: Gay News Revisited by Bob Workman and Keith Howes | Bishopsgate Institute Together, photographer Bob Workman and journalist Keith Howes explored London and much of Britain, pushing open the closet door and shining light into the

Grit, glamour & gossip from the golden age of Gay News.

Photographer Bob Workman & journalist Keith Howes return, for one night only, with stories, images & icons from the queer 70s & 80s.

📅 24 Sep
📍Bishopsgate Institute
🎟️ Book below
🔗 https://bit.ly/4mVQ2OD

Sounds excellent, we can’t wait to dive in. It's always good to see more queer histories brought to light and shared so brilliantly.

Great to see the Mother and Baby Home archives being digitised. Making these records accessible is crucial for understanding and preserving family histories

A brilliant way to explore politics in context. We’re always happy to peek into archival collections, thank you for sharing.

You might be interested, we have some fantastic queer artists featured in our collections, including materials from UK-based creators who have shaped queer cultural history in unique ways. Feel free to explore our archives online or visit us in person to dive deeper into these stories.

What a fantastic event to celebrate East and South East Asian heritage and LGBTQ+ voices. Looking forward to seeing the conversations and stories that come from it.

Love to see small exhibitions making a big impact. We’re especially fond of projects that bring archival stories to life, so much resonance with the work happening in our own collections too.

So pleased to see archival research at the heart of this kind of work. It's always exciting to see history brought to life through original sources.

This is thoughtful work. Our LGBTQ+ archives exist to preserving grassroots projects exactly like this 🏳️‍🌈

Sounds like a really fascinating residency. Wishing Hua Hua and everyone at VoxBody a great couple of weeks!

An outside picture of the Bishopsgate Institute, with a Pride flag flying proudly!

Today the HWO team are taking a little field trip to the Bishopsgate Institute (@bishopsgateinst.bsky.social)! We’re so excited to have a look through the History Workshop archive!

The Rudi Inhelder Collection | Bishopsgate Institute From 21 July 2025Visit the Institute and explore our free exhibition of images taken by Hanns Rudolf Inhelder

A Cold War physicist. A gay tattoo club founder. A quiet force behind modern tattooing.

Explore the life and legacy of Rudi Inhelder in our new free exhibition - now open at Bishopsgate Institute.

Read more: www.bishopsgate.org.uk/stories/the-...

#TattooHistory #QueerArchives

Love seeing this come together. Learning from each other and building community has always been such a vital part of what we do too. We’re cheering you on! 🌈

What’s the cost of justice delivered too late?

Red Gold (BBC Radio 4) reveals the story behind the infected blood scandal, a billion-dollar industry built on contaminated trust.

Proud our archives supported Anita Sullivan's research

🎧 29 July, 14:15 or after on BBC Sounds.

Stef Dickers and me - in front rows of VCH Big Red Books

The won Ceri Thompson with materials from the archive

Feminist pamphlets

1970s Free Palestine papers

Fabulous afternoon @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social with the @ihr.bsky.social #London #SummerSchool, exploring this year's theme of #Rebels ❤️