Institute of Historical Research

How the IHR is supporting historians at this time

In this period of uncertainty, the IHR looks to support historians, and their research, with a range of digital initiatives - including primary and secondary resources, online events and training.

Get latest updates about current IHR Library arrangements and other parts of the IHR building that remain closed.

What we do & why we matter

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.

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 projects and resources

British History Online

British History Online is a digital library of key printed primary and secondary sources for the history of Britain and Ireland.

Layers of London

Layers of London is a groundbreaking crowd-sourced mapping project that records the rich layers of London's heritage.

Historical Research

Historical Research is the IHR's academic journal. Founded in 1923, it is a leading peer-reviewed journal with an international readership and reputation.

Bibliography of British and Irish History

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the most extensive guide available to what's been published on British and Irish history.

Victoria County History

The Victoria County History is one of the world's longest-running research projects, exploring England's rich local history.

IHR Books Series

The IHR publishes a range of book series, including edited collections, experimental short histories and a new set of monographs by early career historians.

Reviews in History

Reviews in History is the IHR's online reviews service. It provides specialist commentaries on the latest historical books, exhibitions and digital resources.

Open Access Publishing

The IHR is committed to developing Open Access (OA) publishing for historians. Titles in a range of IHR series appear as OA from first publication.

Seminars & Events

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

Search the IHR Wohl Library Catalogue

18 nov

Queer Codes: Gay Men in the Civil Service

In this fascinating blog, Dr. James Southern, a writer and researcher for the UK government, provides some startling insight into discriminatory policies which …

17 nov

Bibliography of British and Irish History: June and November 2021 updates

What’s new in BBIH? The June and November 2021 updates to the Bibliography of British and Irish History combined add 5490 new publications. The new content incl…

10 nov

The Derek Keene Book Donation

Michael Townsend from the IHR’s Wohl Library highlights some of the titles included in a kind gift from the library of Prof Derek Keene. Earlier in the ye…

09 nov

Victoria County History: Outstanding Contribution Awards

We are delighted to introduce Victoria County History Outstanding Contribution Awards, as a small way to recognise and honour exceptional contributions to the V…

04 nov

From Jazz to Digital – 100 Years of the Student Experience at the Institute…

This is the first in a series of blog posts by current and former post-graduate students of the Institute to mark the Institute’s centenary. They will offer dif…

03 nov

New Ways to work for historians and archivists: Gerald Aylmer Seminar 2021

In March 2020 the Gerald Aylmer Seminar was one of the last in-person events to take place at The National Archives before the first Covid-19 lockdown. In Septe…

01 nov

Environmental history: an online reading list for History Day, 4 November 2…

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) provides records of over 627,600 publications (books, journal articles, and chapters in edited collections)…

29 oct

Black History Month in the Bibliography of British and Irish History

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is a record of nearly 630,000 books, articles and essays relating to the British and Irish past, worldwide.…

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Research Training

The IHR offers a wide range of training courses for historians at all career stages, from digital research and oral history to archives and publishing.

Study with Us

We offer an M.Phil/PhD programme supervised by research subject area experts.

What's On

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

Fellowships

Our Fellows are an essential part of the IHR's vibrant research community. We offer Junior, Senior and Associate Research Fellowships.

How the IHR is supporting historians at this time