Kingston History Centre has been recognised as meeting national standards, and has been given “accredited archive status”.

The council-run centre now joins a scheme hoped to encourage high standards and professionalism in archives across the country.

Joanne Moulton, acting head of Culture at Kingston Council, said: “We are very proud of this achievement. In recent years we have developed how Kingston History Centre is run, and the accreditation reflects the hard work of staff and volunteers to ensure that we continue to improve what is a brilliant archive and local history centre.

“We are always looking to improve the service offered by the centre and are keen to ensure that the material we collect documents Kingston’s rich history and is representative of the communities living and working in the borough today.”

The collection includes material dating back to 1208, and includes royal charters, records produced by local businesses, societies and individuals, and other sources like books, maps, photographs and newspapers.

It is housed in the former Magistrates Court building at the Guildhall, having opened there in October 2015 following a move from the North Kingston Centre in Richmond Road.

The centre is open from Wednesday to Saturday, and is open late until 7pm on Thursdays.