About the Institute

About us

The Institute of Historical Research was founded in 1921 and is one of nine institutes that comprise the University of London's School of Advanced Study. The IHR is dedicated to training the next generation of historians, and to producing and facilitating ambitious, innovative historical research.

The Institute helps foster public understanding of history and its social, cultural, and economic importance, advocating for the long-term future of the discipline and supporting its growth and development. It offers a wide range of services both onsite and remotely that facilitate excellence in historical research, teaching and scholarship in the UK, through our library, events programmes, fellowships, training and publications.

The IHR is a leading centre for the creation of digital resources for historians, and promotes the study of people and locality through our Centre for the History of People, Place and Community.

What we do & why we matter

Our Mission

The Institute of Historical Research is the UK's national centre for history. Learn more about our mission, our values and our vision for the future.

Our Strategy, 2020-2025

Learn more about our strategy as we embark on the IHR's second century of serving as a national home for historians.

Key information

Library

The IHR Wohl Library has one of the world's greatest collections of open shelf primary works & reference materials.

Seminars, A-Z

We are home to the UK's largest programme of research seminars dedicated to history, with over 70 meeting regularly during the academic year. All welcome, explore the directory.

What's On

Latest events, seminars, workshops, public lectures and training from the Institute of Historical Research

Related content

School of Advanced Study

The School of Advanced Study comprises nine institutes, including the IHR, at the University of London. The School is the UK's national centre for the pursuit, support and promotion of research in the humanities

University of London

The University of London is one of the largest, most diverse universities in the UK with over 120,000 students in London, and a further 50,000 studying worldwide for a University of London degree.

Open and Free Access Materials for Research

From March 2020, we've created a guide to freely accessible online resources. We hope this helps researchers who cannot currently visit libraries or archives.

Find us

The Institute of Historical Research is located in Senate House in Bloomsbury, London's academic and publishing quarter.