Find an archive is a directory of archive-holding organisations, hosted by The National Archives, containing contact details and access information for researchers.
If you are an archivist or custodian of records relating to British history you can use an online form to add or amend the details of your archive or institution in Discovery. Each archive requires a unique repository number which is used for ISAD(G) compliant cataloguing. In the UK, this is known as an ARCHON code and will be provided to all archives requesting a Find an archive entry for the first time.
More information, and the online form, can be found here.
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:
- click on the map
- use the search box
- select from a list of UK regions and counties
To find archives outside the UK you can select from lists of countries arranged alphabetically.
Land Transport Archives Network 