About the collection

The British Empire & Commonwealth Collection is in the care of Bristol Archives and Bristol Museums at B Bond Warehouse.

This unique resource includes objects, artworks, photographs, films, papers and sound archives. These were donated by British people who lived and worked in many parts of the former empire and Commonwealth and reflect their occupations and interests.

The collection provides insights into diverse lives. We are working to make this material available for people worldwide to examine difficult, forgotten or hidden histories from their own perspectives. We also actively use the collection in exhibitions and community-led projects. Please visit our website to read about this work.

The collection was originally held at the former British Empire & Commonwealth Museum (BECM) in Bristol until 2012. We are continuing to collect new material.

Photographic, film and paper archives

The collection includes around 500,000 still images from the 1860s to 1970s and approximately 2,000 films from the 1920s onwards.

These were generally created or collected in an amateur capacity, providing an unofficial account of empire. Themes covered include people and their way of life (both colonial and indigenous), as well as historic events, tourist sites, landscapes, wildlife and the environment, the military, engineering projects, buildings and infrastructure.

Catalogued items which have been digitised are available on this site. Please contact us about physical access to our collections.

The collection also contains personal papers, such as diaries, correspondence and research notes.

Objects

The object collections, numbering about 10,000 items, came from BECM and the Commonwealth Institute.

The Commonwealth Institute collection, including material from the earlier Imperial Institute, reflects the culture and economic resources of member countries. Objects range from a bicycle rickshaw to wood samples, and include paintings by Commonwealth artists. A related handling collection of several thousand objects was gathered for use in teaching.

The BECM collection contains objects reflecting the experiences of British people working across the Empire and Commonwealth in government and commercial posts.

Oral histories

We hold over 1,500 interviews with people about their lives and work in the former Empire and Commonwealth, from civil servants, engineers, teachers, and nurses to geologists. We are in the process of digitising this material.

Using the collection

The collections described in this catalogue are available for research - please contact us if you would like to access any material:

There is still a considerable volume of uncatalogued collections and we are working to make this material available. In addition, some descriptions are based on old catalogue information: we are aware that these could be improved and welcome any feedback.

Donating material

If you have material that you would like to donate to the collection, please email archives@bristol.gov.uk