How Business Archives Can Fill Gaps in Public History

Every business has a unique history that not only documents the stories of the people who worked there, but also the legacy of the corporation and its place in the wider context of a nation’s social, political, and economic history.

Business archives therefore play an important role in preserving public memory. According to a recent article, newly established private archives are filling the gaps in the story of modern India. For example, it would not be possible to tell the story of India’s space expeditions without the archives at Godrej, which managed the Vikas rocket engine for the space agency. Similarly in Hong Kong, the archives at the privately-run Hong Kong Heritage Project house some of the few existing records pertaining to electricity production in the city through its China Light & Power collection, a major electricity provider. In Britain, the archives of HSBC Group, NatWest Group and Lloyds Banking Group all chronicle the history of banking – some since the 1600s.

These archives often reveal surprising and unexpected histories which are of interest not only to professional historians, but also to the wider public. Sainsburys and Boots – a supermarket and chemist respectively – often share throwback memories of well-loved products from a bygone era – engendering a sense of nostalgia as well as brand loyalty. The formidable HSBC Group Archive, with its headquarters in London and global offices spread across the world, recently launched a new website which uses digital history tools to explore the history of its buildings, adverts, plus the changing world of work – rendering its collections more accessible than ever.     

Clockwise from top: Boots Archive, the Sainsbury Archive and Lloyds Banking Group Archive