********************************** PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE GENERAL INFORMATION Leaflet No: 31 ********************************** [Note: this and all other PRO General Information leaflets are (c) Crown Copyright, but may be freely reproduced except for sale or advertising purposes. Copies should always include this Copyright notice -- please respect this.] (c) Crown Copyright, January 1993 ----------------------------- start of text -------------------------- 31. INFORMATION FOR READERS --------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION The Public Record Office houses the national archives of England and the United Kingdom, that is, records created by the actions of central government and of the courts of law of England and Wales. The documents number many millions, ranging in date from the Norman Conquest to the present day. Public records, with few exceptions, are available for inspection by members of the public thirty years after the end of the year in which they were created. Records in the custody of the Office are divided between two buildings, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR and Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. Both buildings share the same telephone number, +44(0) 181-876-3444. DIVISION OF THE RECORDS BETWEEN THE BUILDINGS Chancery Lane houses legal records, records of some government departments with quasi-legal functions, records of medieval and early modern government and of some ducal and palatine administrations, non-parochial registers, probate records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and microfilm copies of the census returns for England and Wales 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891. Kew houses the records of modern government departments and public bodies dating mainly from the late eighteenth century, but including records of the Treasury, Admiralty, War Office and Colonial Office from earlier centuries. The division of the records between Chancery Lane and Kew has been made as logical as possible. An information leaflet giving details of the division of the records is available, but readers who are in any doubt as to which building to visit should telephone in advance to seek advice. Records may normally only be seen at the building in which they are housed. In addition, certain Tithe Redemption Office records are available for inspection only at the Office's repository at Bourne Avenue, Hayes, Middlesex, where it is necessary to make an appointment in advance by telephone on +44(0) 181-573-3831. READERS' TICKETS Only persons holding valid Readers' Tickets may order documents at the Public Record Office. Tickets are issued, free of charge, when readers first visit the Office, provided each applicant brings some documentary proof of identity. For citizens of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, any formal document bearing the applicant's name and signature, such as a driving licence or credit card, is acceptable. For nationals of other countries, a passport or national identity card is required. Persons under the age of 16 are not normally issued with Readers' Tickets except on the written recommendation of the head teacher of their school, but are admitted to the reading rooms at the discretion of the officer in charge provided they are accompanied by an adult holding a Reader's Ticket. A Reader's Ticket issued in one building is valid in the other. For security reasons, Readers' Tickets are not sent through the post. Details of rules for readers, designed to ensure the safe-keeping of the records, are available on request. {the original has two sketch maps here} How to get to Chancery Lane The building is situated near the south (Fleet Street) end of Chancery Lane. The nearest underground stations are Chancery Lane, Holborn and Temple. Several bus services pass the Fleet Street or High Holborn ends of Chancery Lane. No car parking space is available. How to get to Kew The building is situated at the end of Ruskin Avenue, less than 10 minutes' walk from Kew Gardens station, which is served by the Richmond branch of the District Line (London Transport) and by the North London Line (British Rail). Kew Bridge station (British Rail) is about 15 minutes' walk away. There are several bus services to Kew. At Kew there are special facilities for the disabled. Facilities in the older building at Chancery Lane are more limited and disabled persons are advised to telephone in advance of their visit. HOURS OF OPENING Both buildings are open from 9.30am to 5.00pm on Mondays to Fridays and no appointment is necessary. The Census Rooms at Chancery Lane are also open on Saturdays with the exception of those falling on bank holiday weekends or during our annual stocktaking closure. The Office is closed on public holidays and for annual stocktaking, which normally takes place during the first full two weeks of October. Details of dates of closures are available on request. The Map Room at Kew will be closed from 19 April 1993 for essential works to the air-conditioning system. Re-opening is scheduled for 14 June, but readers wishing to consult maps should telephone in advance of a visit for confirmation. Requisitions for original documents are not accepted after 3.30pm for production the same day. For documents on microfilm a self-service system operates until 4.15pm at Kew and 4.30pm at Chancery Lane. The microfilm reading room at Kew is closed for the two days of the annual press preview - usually the last two working days in December. THE MUSEUM Chancery Lane houses the Public Record Office Museum where a small display of documents from all periods may be seen. The Museum is open to all, free of charge, from 10.00am to 5.00pm on Mondays to Fridays. It has the same closure dates as the rest of the Office. PHOTOCOPYING SERVICE The photo-copying of documents may be undertaken only by Public Record Office staff. Separate leaflets giving the scale of charges for each kind of copying process and the procedures for ordering copies are available. Advice and estimates can be given by, and orders for copies placed with, the Reprographic-Ordering Office in each building. OTHER FACILlTIES There is a coin-operated drinks dispenser in the public waiting room at Chancery Lane and there are a number of restaurants, sandwich bars and public houses in the vicinity. At Kew there is a licensed self-service restaurant. Readers may bring their own food and drink for consumption in the public waiting room at Chancery Lane and the public restaurant at Kew. Smoking is forbidden in all parts of the buildings at Chancery Lane and Kew. A shop selling PRO and other publications, postcards, posters, slides, seal replicas, stationery and souvenirs is situated near the Museum at Chancery Lane. A limited selection of items is available from Reception at Kew. OFFICIAL RECORDS NOT IN THE PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE Other institutions hold official records and provide facilities for their inspection. These include: 1. the Scottish Record Office, HM General Register House, Edinburgh EH1 3YY, which holds public and other records relating to Scotland. 2. the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, 66 Balmoral Avenue, Belfast BT9 6NY, which holds public and other records relating to Northern Ireland. 3. the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3BU, which holds some public records and other collections relating to Wales. (Records of the Welsh Office are held at the Public Record Office, Kew). 4. the India Office Library and Records (British Library), 197 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NG, which holds records of the East India Company and the India Office. 5. the Record Office, House of Lords, London SWlA 0PW, which holds the records of both Houses of Parliament. 6. the Principal Registry of the Family Division, Somerset House, London WC2R ILP, which holds registrations of wills from 1858. 7. the General Register Office (Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys), St Catherine's House, Kingsway, London WC2R 63P, which holds the civil registrations of births, marriages and deaths from 1837. 8. county and city record offices of England and Wales, which hold certain classes of public records of local interest, the records of the local authority, parish registers and private collections relating to the locality. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Public Record Office, Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LR. Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Tel: +44 (0) 181 876-3444 Opening hours: 9.30am - 5.00pm, Monday to Friday. Closed on public holidays and for annual Stocktaking (normally the first two full weeks in October). Admission is by reader's ticket which will be issued on production of proof of identity, such as a (UK) driving licence or passport. ----------------------------- end of text ------------------------------