The National Archives (PRO)

The National Archives, formerly and fondly the Public Record Office (PRO), is by and large a pleasure to research in. However, there are a few important challenges to be aware of before planning your trip.

Strengths

Finding Aids: First, a warning: the archive has an unreliable online finding aid system that can charitably be called a work in progress. What this means for you, is that if this is your first visit, you won’t have much to go on until after you’ve arrived. However, once in the archives, the paper finding aids are simply incredible, so plan to spend your first day mining them—and to go back again. Thousands of logically sorted and extremely accurate volumes will allow you to find most files that could be of any use to you.  

Delivery Time: All of the documents in TNA are located in house, meaning you will have them very shortly after ordering them (within 40 minutes, barring a snafu). You will be assigned a cubby, and your documents will be delivered directly to it.  When you're done with your files, you simply put them back.  Note: TNA will only give you files, not boxes, like some other archives will.  This means you have to be diligent about ordering enough files to keep you busy before your next order arrives. There is also no way to know whether your file will have 5 pages or 800, so be ready to spend the occasional half hour down in the café. 

Transportation: There is a tube station located only a few minutes walk from TNA, giving you more options on where you stay.

Nourishment: TNA has a cafe downstairs with fresh sandwiches and delicious lattes for a relatively affordable price. Plus it's Britain, so there are a couple of pubs within walking distance.

Weaknesses

Hours of Operation: TNA is only open Tuesday-Saturday from 9am-5pm (The 2 extra hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays are of limited help, since files stop being delivered at the usual time).  While this gives you two days a week to tour London, or visit another archive, it does put the pressure on you to work as efficiently and effectively in the archives as you can.

Accommodation: The archives are located in Kew, a posh area about 40 minutes by tube from downtown London.  Kew is expensive, which means you may be stuck staying a distance away and commuting by tube.  The area directly across the river has a fair bit of dodgy council housing, so, although in walking distance, it may be best to avoid at night. One alternative is to plan your research trip with colleagues. There are 2-3 room flats available for weekly or monthly lets within walking distance from the archives. With the cost divided among 2 or 3 people (and saving substantial food costs because they have a kitchen), it's a viable, cost-efficient alternative.  Plus, it will make your 2 days off a week more enjoyable.

The Reading Room: There are a few drawbacks to the reading room itself which you will probably notice if researching for more than a few days. First, it is surprisingly cold. Bring a sweater unless you are a polar bear. There is also an unfortunate tendency by mature researchers to arrive at the archive with digital cameras they can barely operate, including the mute function. The seven-hundredth beep followed by a fake shutter ‘click’ will probably put you on edge. Luckily, these hapless luddites usually give themselves a dead battery in good order, followed by a furrowed brow and blissful quietude. Finally, some of the reading room security staff are new to a job with this much ‘power’ and zealously will enforce all policies—and even a few non-existent ones which suit their fancy. Others are kind and helpful, in keeping with the spirit of the PRO to preserve and use the documents. You never know which it will be.

To read another review of the PRO written by an HGSU member, click here.