Behind a quiet door near Liverpool Street: Suffragette papers, a Vicar's naughty scrapbooks, revolutionary minute books, and a startlingly honest 1950s diary. Join Stef for a tour of our General Collections. Tue 9 Jun, 18:30–20:00. Book here👉 https://bit.ly/4dqPug2

The way to fight phobia and stigma is through knowledge 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ Today, on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, we stand against all forms of hate directed at self-expression.

What will you discover on London’s friendliest dance floor? 🪩🕺 At Bishopsgate Institute, our ballroom opens its doors to everyone. Beginners, regulars, and those simply curious about social dancing. Step onto London’s friendliest dance floor 👉 https://bit.ly/3Ihr9xs

Movement can be a way of listening to the body, to the moment you’re in 🧘‍♀️ Esther Anaya-Boig has brought mindfulness to her teaching for over 10 years, creating space to build strength and a steadier sense of balance. Find a class that fits your week via our website: https://bit.ly/3Ihr9xs

These small, tactile sounds define the archive experience 📂 Even in the centre of London, our archives hold a kind of quiet you don’t come across often. A space to focus, to research, to follow a thread of thought without interruption. This is what discovery sounds like 🔍

LGBTQ+ archive tours return this summer. Stories of identity, protest, community, and change. Held in our collections and shared in the space they belong. Join us to explore the materials, voices, and histories that continue to shape the present. Book your place: https://bit.ly/41WjDhN

For one Saturday in April, Bishopsgate Institute will shift gear. Expect exhibitions, live presentations, vintage magazines and posters, and open conversations through ‘W.T.F’ (We’re Talking Fetish). Step inside and explore: https://bit.ly/4cbNBTZ

Today is Trans Day of Visibility. A moment to celebrate trans lives, creativity, and community 🏳️‍⚧️ In our archives you'll find the Transfabulous Archive, documenting a vibrant UK festival of trans art, performance, and activism (2006–2012). Here’s to the dolls, the artists, and the trailblazers.

On World Doctor’s Day, we’re reminded of the work that happens behind closed doors. These intimate images from our archives offer a rare glimpse inside hospital wards. Moments of focus, care, and responsibility. A perspective we seldom see, capturing the quiet, daily reality of medicine.

Queer stories have always shaped theatre. Now you can explore them in depth 🎭 Join Dr Emily Garside for a series of online courses that trace the history, politics, and performance of queer theatre. Explore the courses and book your place: https://bit.ly/4svLlxx

History after dark. There’s still time to book your spot for One Night in the Archive, featuring discussion, performance, and stories from our collections that don’t sit quietly on the shelf. Thu 19 March | 19:00 Book your spot 👉 https://bit.ly/4bdTG1y

“Who had made us hate ourselves so much?” New writing on queer history is turning to archives, like Bishopsgate Institute, to answer that question uncovering lives shaped by silence and resistance. Read the full article in The Observer: https://bit.ly/4usmhsS

The 1970s didn’t quieten the noise of the decade before. It gave it direction. From punk’s raw edge to Rock Against Racism’s stages. From street protests to the rise of the Anti-Nazi League. The helter-skelter didn’t stop. It organised. Explore 1970s Britain in our Special Collections & Archives.

Our archive office holds the unexpected. The personal. The curious. The outright bizarre. Objects that make you pause. That make you ask, “Why?” That make you ask, “How did this end up here?” This is where stories wait to be opened. Step inside and see what you might uncover.

New to Bishopsgate Institute? We’d love to welcome you through our doors. Using our archives is straightforward. Register, settle into the Rear Library, and our team will guide you to the material you want to see. Curious? Plan your visit and start exploring.

March marks the kick-off of Let’s Dance, a nationwide call to the floor. From 6–8 March, Bishopsgate Institute hosts beginners’ classes open to all. No experience. No pressure. Just music and movement in a welcoming room. If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it. Link 👉 https://bit.ly/3OWs1dP

Clause 27. Clause 28. Section 28. Section 2A. Confused? The 1988 law banned councils from “promoting homosexuality”, fuelling fear in schools and libraries. Unions and LGBTQ+ activists fought back. Explore the story in our Archives. #LGBTHistoryMonth

A thank you to Aldgate Connect, supporters of Saturday’s Pink Jukebox Trophy. As our local Business Improvement District, they support the businesses and cultural spaces that make Aldgate thrive. We’re proud to work together to keep community and creativity moving. See you on the dance floor.

Did you know Paul McCartney once visited Bishopsgate Institute? The walls and dressing rooms may have changed, but the curiosity? It's still here, there, and everywhere.

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Our archives are kinky. Who knew?💘 Join us for Kink in the Archive III, an after-hours delve into fetish history and collective curiosity. 📍 Saturday 14 February at Bishopsgate Institute. 🎟️ Tickets available here 👇 https://bit.ly/49WYo35

Still at the cottage? I know I am. I had a lot of thoughts (still do) about Heated Rivarly as a Queer hockey fan. How does it sit with queer hockey fans? is it a force for activism? Join me @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social to talk queer hockey! www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/act...

Are you still at the Cottage? Join me and @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social for an exploration of Heated Rivalry, Hockey Romance and what that can tell us about queer media, and it's activist side... www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/act...

Some slogans belong to the past. Others feel like they never left. A glimpse into the protest posters of Eddie Adams, visual echoes of resistance, solidarity and dissent. Now held in our Special Collections, they speak across decades. Sometimes as relics, sometimes as reminders.

🎆 New Year’s Day? We’ve been interrupting it since 1895. Bishopsgate Institute turns 131 today. Same date, every year. Because why not launch a cultural institution on the most disruptive day of the year? Here’s to another year of learning, dancing, questioning, and keeping London curious.

Our team's growing... Bishopsgate Institute is where history lives, learning thrives and people come together. Right now, we’re hiring for three key roles: 🟡 Visitor Experience Team Lead 🟡 Deputy Operations Manager 🟡 Infrastructure & Facilities Manager Curious? Find out more: bit.ly/3KEoy1X

We’ve never been big on uniforms... But these T-shirt’s might just change that. Pictured: the Bishopsgate Institute team, proudly modelling our limited-edition UK Fetish Archive tees. Made to celebrate history, these shirts are nearly gone. 🖤 Link: https://everpress.com/profile/uk-fetish-archive

We’re not saying dancing is time travel… but if swing, tango or ballroom in our gorgeous Great Hall doesn’t transport you, nothing will. Come solo or bring a partner; the only requirement is a willingness to move. Book via our website. https://www.bishopsgate.org.uk/whats-on/search/ 🪩

In this online session for World AIDS Day, we’ll explore how artists responded to fear, loss, and injustice and how their work shaped public memory and protest. From Keith Haring to Gay Sweatshop, these are stories of expression, resistance, and care. @emilygarside.bsky.social 📆 Wed 3 December👇

To mark World AIDS Day, we’re hosting a lunchtime session on the history of AIDS activism - from ACT UP to the Terrence Higgins Trust, and voices like Larry Kramer & Lisa Power. 📅 1 Dec, 12:30 📷 Gordon Rainsford @emilygarside.bsky.social

This is how I feel when I post on Close Friends on insta

"Dear Friends, too busy to write a letter, so I am sending a postcard to a few of my friends to let them know they are not forgotten. W R Bradlaugh unites in Christian love to all." W.R. Bradlaugh knew: connection doesn’t need to be complicated. When the group chat’s too much, go Bradlaugh style.

Not just a pretty building. Inside, you notice the details: soft light, worn steps, carved railings. It wasn’t built to impress, it was built to welcome. This place has held leaflets, love letters, manifestos and more. It looks historic because it is. Come in. What’s your favourite corner?

Not your nan’s Christmas jumper. No jingle, no sparkle - just leather, latex, and full archival fantasy. 🖤 ◼️ ⚫ From the UK Fetish Archive. 3 days left to order. A gift for yourself, or someone who’ll get it. https://everpress.com/profile/uk-fetish-archive

Spotted @davidolusoga.bsky.social somewhere unexpected lately? Now he’s back to the real story. Empire - his new @BBC series on Britain’s imperial legacy, filmed partly at Bishopsgate Institute. 📺 Empire with David Olusoga - watch on BBC iPlayer.

An extra hour of sleep? Don’t mind if we do. 😴 🕰️ Once upon a time, the end of daylight saving meant dashing around to wind back every clock in sight. Now, our digital ones kindly do it for us, though we can’t help admiring the craftsmanship of these timepieces from our archives.

Think you know museums? Think again. 👀 Between 1960 and 2020, the number of museums in the UK tripled. But many were far from what you’d expect. The Mapping Museum Project set out to uncover & document this boom, revealing a world of collectors and community. Learn more 👉 https://bit.ly/46WC7Rs

“No Tango or freak dances were allowed…” In 1914, 230 guests enjoyed a “very pleasant evening” at Bishopsgate - despite a strict ban on Tango, as found in @thebritishnewspaperarchive. Today? Queer Salsa, K-pop, Ballroom & more. Get your freak on. https://bit.ly/3Ihr9xs #BishopsgateInstitute

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/

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

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

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. 🖤

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

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

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!

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

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.

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

A Pride zine made on a home printer. A 1950s gay rights newsletter. A drag ball ticket. Yeliz Zaifoglu visits our archives & chats to @stef-dickers.bsky.social about the quirks and power of what we keep. Read the piece: bit.ly/4jU5l8a #BishopsgateInstitute