Peterborough Archives Service offers access to a wide range of resources for anyone interested in researching the heritage and culture of Peterborough and the surrounding area. Whether you want to discover more about your local area, family history, or the story of your house, the Archives provide a welcoming space for learning and exploration.
What you can expect:
- Access to over 250 collections of original documents, manuscripts, and photographs, dating from the medieval period to the present.
- Collections include local authority records, public records, medieval charters, business and society records, school records, memoirs, family papers, maps, newspapers, photographs, electoral registers, and literary manuscripts.
- Most records can be freely consulted in the dedicated search room at Peterborough Central Library. Hundreds of local-interest books are also available, some of which can be borrowed.
- If you cannot visit in person, staff may be able to undertake research for you for a small fee. You can also search the online catalogue from anywhere in the world.
Benefits for wellbeing:
- Engage with the past, especially with personal connections to ancestors, homes, streets, or communities.
- Opportunities for learning and discovery.
- Develop new skills or improve existing ones, such as research, palaeography, family history, and computing.
Volunteering: Volunteers are welcome to help sort and catalogue new material, index old newspapers, and run events. Contact the Archives if you are interested in volunteering.
Donations: If you have historical records to preserve, you may be able to donate them to the Archives. Please get in touch to discuss.
Access information:
- Wheelchair-friendly access to the Library and Archives.
- No public toilets available.
- Limited paid parking nearby; closest car parks are Brook Street and North Street (5-minute walk). Bus stops are a 2-minute walk away.
Cost: Accessing the Archives is free. Charges apply for photocopying, digital copies, and staff research—see the Archive Charges page for details.