How to look for records of... Find an archive

The ‘Find an archive‘ page allows you to search by location or keyword specifically for archives themselves, as opposed to the records they hold.

Search results will show you:

  • contact information for the archive
  • brief information about the archive’s collection
  • a map showing the location of the archive

Sometimes the map doesn’t appear – try using a different browser if this happens.

You can search for over 2,500 archives across the UK and some abroad but only those overseas archives that hold a significant collection of records relating to the UK are included.

To find an archive in the UK you can:

  • use the search box
  • click on the map
  • select from a list of UK regions and counties

To find archives outside the UK you can select from lists of countries arranged alphabetically.

The different search options are explained below.

1. Find an archive in the UK and beyond

Use the search box to find archives by place, name or theme:

  • to see what archives there are in Birmingham, enter ‘Birmingham’
  • to find archives specialising in railways, enter ‘Railways’
  • to find an archive you know the name of, enter the name

2. Find an archive using the map

Click on an area of the UK to see an alphabetical list of archives within the region.

Use the filters to refine your list by more precise location and/or by type of archive.

3. Find an archive using regional lists

Choose a home nation

Click on one of the headings to see an alphabetical list of all archives within that nation.

You can refine your results using the filters for location and/or type of archive.

Choose a region in England

Click on the drop down list to see the English regions. These are the same as those shown on the map.

Click on a region to see a list of counties within it. You can then either:

  • click on a specific county to see the archives within it, or
  • choose the option at the top of the list to show a breakdown of all the archives within the region if you don’t want to choose a specific county

Once you have a list of archives within a region or county you can refine your results using the filters for location and/or type of archive.

4. Find archives by country

Click on a letter to see a list of archives by country. Only archives with a significant collection of records relating to the UK are included.

Within the list of archives from a specific country you can refine your results by type of archive. If you choose England from the list you will also be able to refine your results by location.

5. Find archives by ARCHON code

If you know the ARCHON code simply enter it into the search box to get contact details for that archive.