The English Heritage Archive is one of the largest publicly accessible archives in the UK and the biggest dedicated to the historic environment.
It is maintained by English Heritage in Swindon where it has a Public Search Room.
Opening Times
The Public Search Room and the English Heritage Reference Library are open Tuesday to Friday 09.30 - 17.00. We are closed on Mondays, Bank Holidays and over the Christmas and New Year period. In the advent of severe winter weather, please call us before travelling to Swindon.
Free parking is available. If you are visiting by car, please give us a call for directions to our car park. We aim to make the archive as accessible as possible to all users; if you have any access requirements please contact us in advance.
For directions and help finding the Swindon office you can download our map to the right. If using a Sat Nav please input Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon as the destination rather than using a postcode.
Planning Your Visit
It’s not necessary to make an appointment before visiting, but contacting us in advance is recommended as some of our collections are not available at short notice.
Access for disabled visitors - There are parking bays in front of the building. They’re a short distance from the main entrance which has ramped access. Press the button by the main entrance for help in opening the doors to the building. There is an accessible lift to the Public Search Room. We have a portable hearing loop.
Fire Alarm - Please follow staff instructions in the event of the fire alarm being sounded.
Facilities
There are public toilets on the ground floor.
Our café is open until 3pm and serves hot and cold drinks, cakes and sandwiches.
What you can, and cannot, take into the Public Search Room (PSR)
We are happy for you to take the following into the PSR:
- pencil and paper/notebook
- laptop
- hand-held digital camera (NB a charge will be made for using a camera)
- valuables
- a small handbag
Please do not take:
- food or drink
- large bags (A4 size or larger) outdoor coats, umbrellas etc
- scanners
- camera tripods/stands
- anything that may mark the archive material (pens, felt tips, newspapers)
You can safely store anything you can’t take into the PSR in a locker at Reception. You’ll be given a clear wallet to carry essentials up to the PSR.
Accessing The Collections
Although some of our collections are on open access, many more are held in our archive store. There are three kinds of collections: 'Open Access' collections, collections retrievable at 'Two Hours Notice' and those retrievable only after receipt of a 'Formal Search Request'.
'Open Access' Collections
The principal open access collections include:
- photographs of historic buildings (the ‘Red Box’ collection)
- oblique air photographs (primarily of archaeological sites)
- photographs of archaeological sites and excavations
- reference Library of over 60,000 books, journals and periodicals on archaeology and architecture
'Two Hours Notice' Collections
Much of the material held in our archive store can be retrieved for you at around two hours notice. In our PSR are catalogues and indexes to collections which can be retrieved in this way. These include measured drawings, surveys of archaeological sites and historic buildings and Country Life prints.
Request forms are available in the search room and are collected by our curatorial team at 10am, 12noon, 2pm, 3.30pm. Requested items are made available as soon as possible. Up to ten items may be requested in this way.
‘Formal Search Request’ Collections
Some collections are only available after completion of a search in advance. This includes the collection of vertical air photographs (RAF, Ordnance Survey etc) and the military obliques. Please contact us for information about consulting these collections.
Collections not available
Some items indexed in our catalogues or identified on our searches may not be available to view. They may be in use by other visitors or English Heritage staff.
