What is Bath Record Office and what does it offer?

Updated

Bath Record Office is the archive service for Bath and North East Somerset, holding archives, local studies and special collections that document the area from the 12th to the 21st century. It is open to everyone, but visits require pre-booking, so plan ahead if you want to consult original records in person. Much of the value for remote users comes through its online catalogues, research guides and image library.

What the office holds

The collections cover the history of Bath and North East Somerset across roughly nine centuries. Beyond general archives, the office highlights several specific strengths:

  • Building history records – material for tracing the history of individual buildings.
  • Public health records – including the Building a Healthier City project on the history of public health in Bath.
  • Business records – such as the Wessex Water cataloguing project.
  • Audio collections – the Sounds of the South West project digitising at-risk audio.
  • Special collections and exhibitions – including Remarkable Books: Heritage Treasures of Bath Record Office and the Black History Matters online exhibition.

The office also states plainly what it does not hold, which is worth checking before you plan a visit or send a research enquiry.

Services for visitors and remote researchers

Service What it gives you
Visit in person Access to original archives and local studies material. Pre-booking is essential; check opening times before travelling.
Online catalogues The Archives and Local Studies catalogue, searchable remotely.
Family history tools Bath Burial Index, Bath Ancestors, and the Georgian Newspaper Project.
Image library Bath in Time, with over 40,000 historic images of Bath and beyond available to discover and purchase.
Research guides Starting points for research or projects.
Copying & research service Staff assistance with research, either on-site or remotely.

Practical points before you go

  • Pre-booking is essential. The site lists opening hours (for example, 10am–1pm and 2pm–5pm on the day shown) but access depends on booking.
  • Accessibility and membership cards are covered on the visit pages, along with rules on handling and copying records.
  • Start online if you can. The catalogue, indexes and guides let you identify what exists before committing to a visit, which matters because original documents are consulted under handling conditions.

Who it is for

Family historians tracing Bath ancestors, people researching the history of a house or building, students and academics, and anyone interested in the heritage of Bath and North East Somerset. If your question concerns a place or institution outside that area, check the "what we don't hold" page first — the office is a local record office, not a national archive.