To avoid disappointment, it is advisable to book a place in advance to visit us. Please do not travel without making a booking. Please see our Planning a Visit Page for full details on how to make a booking.
Please also see our Contact Us page for details of other times we might be closed.
When you contact us, you can:
-
Check that we have what you need for your research.
-
Book a seat. Please see our Planning a Visit page for more details on how to make a booking.
-
Order up to six documents in advance of your visit. Please use our online catalogue in order to find the references of documents you wish to look at.
-
Let us know of any special needs.
Please also remember to bring with you:
-
A pencil and paper, or laptop, to take notes.
-
Any notes that you will need for your research.
-
A camera if you wish to take photographs. Please see our Copying Services page for details and fees.
-
A USB stick if you wish to save copies from the computers. Please see our Copying Services page for details and fees.
-
A method of payment to pay for any copies, services, snacks, drinks or sale items. We can accept credit or debit cards (except American Express), cash or cheques.
We aim to assist all our visitors with their research as best as we can but are unable to provide a one-to-one service.
Archives Card and Day Passes
We require visitors looking at original documents to register for an Archives Card which is a national scheme allowing visitors to use one card to visit all participating archive services.
Registration needs to be done in advance of your visit which is then completed when you arrive. Full details on how to sign up and what ID is required, can be found on the Archives Card website.
If you are unable to apply for an Archives Card and wish to look at original documents, you will need to bring some form of ID with address and/or signature with you on your visit to be issued a Day Pass. This will only be valid for the day of your visit.
An Archives Card or Day Pass are not required for looking at library material, microfilm/microfiche or the computers, but please be prepared to show ID should you need to look at original records at any point on your visit.
Please see our When you arrive page for more details on what you need to do when you get here.