Other Collections

The NMR holds major collections of archives and publications which describe various aspects of the historic environment and are of national importance. We are making an increasing amount of this information available online, but at the moment the following resources should be consulted by contacting the NMR Enquiry Services.

Aerial Photography of England

The NMR contains the largest and most comprehensive public archive of aerial photography of England from 1945 onwards. We hold over 3 million vertical aerial photographs covering the whole of England, including comprehensive cover taken by the RAF after the Second World War. In addition there are 680,000 oblique aerial photographs of locations throughout England.

Public access ('Red Box') collections

500,000 photographs of buildings, ranging in date from the 1870s to the 1980s and deriving from various sources.  This collection is especially strong on ecclesiastical buildings and country houses.

Buildings Files

Information on over 70,000 individual buildings, comprising a combination of photographs, drawings, notes and reports from the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments for England (RCHME) and English Heritage fieldwork.

English Heritage Library

The Library is based at the National Monuments Record in Swindon and holds over 60,000 book titles.  It includes extensive collections on archaeology and architecture, together with smaller sections on related topics such as maritime studies, industrial archaeology, archive preservation and management, aerial photography and place-names studies.

Around 1000 new titles are added to the library each year.  It also has around 400 current journal subscriptions.

Measured Drawings

56,000 architectural drawings, including plans, elevations, sketches and watercolours, deriving from the RCHME and other sources.

Survey notes

The original research material (notes, sketches and photographs) for RCHME inventory volumes.

Aerofilms

A major new acquisition of historical air photographs from Blom ASA, called the Aerofilms collection.

Listed Building descriptions

A complete set of Listed Building descriptions (known as 'greenbacks') for England.

Sales Particulars

Brochures advertiting the sales of estates and properties across England from  the late 19th and early 20th centuries.