Archives

The City of Victoria Archives is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to learn about the rich history of the city. 

Search the Archives

Search photographs and records descriptions through the Archives’ Online Search site.

What's in the Archives?

Learn about the variety of resources available at the City Archives.

Image Reproduction & Use

The Archives has a collection of thousands of images from a wide variety of sources.

Plan a Visit

Learn how to visit the Archives and access records for your research.

About the Archives

The City of Victoria Archives has been in existence since 1967. Since then, we have served as caretakers of the City’s documentary heritage. Our collection of building plans, street maps, family photographs, and other records show how Victorians have lived, worked and governed for over 160 years.

The Archives does more than just collect and protect these one-of-a-kind records, though — we also make this material available to the public. Students, researchers and anyone interested in Victoria’s past are welcome to schedule an appointment in our reading room. Staff are happy to guide you to relevant material and help you with our search tools.

Donations

The Archives acquires records of local businesses, organizations and people. Items that are of potential interest to the Archives include (but are not limited to):

  • correspondence
  • financial records
  • diaries
  • legal records
  • photographs

If you have material which you think might be of interest to the Archives, please email or call with a brief description. While many items are of historical value, not all material fall within the scope of our mandate.

Donations can be brought to the archives or, if you are in the area, an archivist may be able to come to you. It’s asked that you please do not reorganize or repair materials prior to donating them, as the original order is important. Attempting to repair materials may cause irreparable damage.