You can use this map to find your local archive service and their contact details.
Or, for general enquiries please e-mail archives.wales
A list of repositories and their details is below:
Aberystwyth University holds a large and diverse range of archival material, most of which has been either collected by the University to support its research and teaching or bequeathed to the University. A large archive also exists of records created by the University, including early material relating to its establishment in 1872.
Aberystwyth University Archives
Hugh Owen Library
Penglais
Aberystwyth
SY23 3DZ
Telephone: 01970 628593
Email: archives(at)aber.ac.uk
Twitter:@AberUniArchives
Aberystwyth University Archives website
Opening hours:
If you are planning to visit the Aberystwyth University Reading Room, it is essential that you book a place in advance, and pre-order any archival material you wish to view. It is usually advisable to make an appointment a week in advance to ensure that you can be accommodated.
Monday to Thursday: 9am –5pm (closed for lunch 1pm – 2pm)
Friday: 9am –4pm (closed for lunch 1pm – 2pm)
Anglesey Archives collects and preserve historical documents relating to the island of Anglesey and makes them available to anyone who wishes to use them.
Anglesey Archives
Industrial Estate Road
Bryn Cefni Industrial Estate
Llangefni
LL77 7JA
Telephone: 01248 751930
Email: archifdyarchives(at)ynysmon.llyw.cymru
Twitter and Facebook: @ArchifauMon
Anglesey Archives website
Opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday 10am to 4pm by appointment only.
Bangor University Archives and Special Collections are responsible for the collection and long-term preservation of manuscripts, archival collections and a diverse range of rare books and printed material.
Library and Archives Service – Archives
The Main Library
Bangor University
Bangor
LL57 2DG
Telephone: 01248 383276
Email: archives(at)bangor.ac.uk
Twitter: @ArchPBU
Facebook: @BangorUniLib
Bangor University, Archives and Special Collections website
Opening hours:
By appointment only
Monday – Friday: 9.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 4pm
The service is home to our extensive collection of historic documents that date from the 13th century to the present day. The collection includes archives, maps, books, photographs, videos and sound recordings. Our mission is to preserve and make our documents available for general study and research.
Carmarthenshire Archives at Carmarthen Library
9 St Peter's Street
Carmarthen
SA31 1LN
Telephone: 01267 228232
Email: archives(at)carmarthenshire.gov.uk
Twitter: @CarmsArchives
Carmarthenshire Archive Service website
Opening hours:
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday: 9.15am – 4.45pm
Thursday: 2pm – 6.45pm
Ceredigion Archives is the record office for the county formerly known as Cardiganshire or (in Welsh) Sir Aberteifi. We are part of Ceredigion County Council. We collect and preserve documents about the history of Cardiganshire and make them available for research.
Ceredigion Archives
Old Town Hall
Queen’s Square
Aberystwyth
SY23 2EB
Telephone: 01970 633697
E-mail: archives(at)ceredigion.gov.uk
Twitter:@CeredigionArch
Facebook: @archifdyceredigionarchives
Ceredigion Archives Website
Opening Hours:
Monday – Thursday 10am – 12.30pm and 2pm – 5pm
Friday, 10am – 12.30pm and 2pm - 4.30pm
Our service collects, preserves and makes accessible, records considered of permanent importance to the Conwy County Borough. These include Maps, Plans, Photographs, Documents and Digital Records highlighting our unique and varied heritage, from businesses to clubs, churches to schools, local government to the personal records of various residents
Conwy Culture Centre
Town Ditch Road
Conwy
LL32 8NU
Telephone: 01492) 577550
E-mail: archifau.archives@conwy.gov.uk
Twitter: @DiwylliantConwy
Facebook: @DiwylliantConwyCulture
Conwy Archives Website
Opening Hours:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm - 4.30pm
Tuesday: 9.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm – 6.45pm
Gladstone's Library's Archives is most known as the home to the personal archive of the library’s founder, nineteenth-century Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, and his family. This contains Gladstone’s personal correspondence and papers, as well as the plantation records of his father, Sir John Gladstone, and compliments the library’s collection of books owned by Gladstone. The archives are also notable for holding the archives of the Detection Club and the Crime Writers’ Association, as well as prominent theologians and figures within the Churches of England and Wales including Don Cupitt, John Robinson, Jim Cotter, Eric James, Anthony Freeman, John Moorman, and Charles Alfred Howell Green. Users can visit the archives for the day or stay in one of the library’s bedrooms.
Gladstone's Library,
Church Lane,
Hawarden,
Flintshire
CH5 3DF
Telephone: 01244 532350
Email: library@gladlib.org
Website: Gladstone's Library | the UK's finest residential library (gladstoneslibrary.org)
Instagram: @gladstoneslibrary
Facebook: @gladlib
Twitter: @gladlib
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-4.30pm’
Glamorgan Archives
Clos Parc Morgannwg
Leckwith
Cardiff
CF11 8AW
Telephone: 029 2087 2200
Email:GlamRO(at)cardiff.gov.uk
Twitter: @GlamArchives
Facebook: @GlamArchives
Glamorgan Archives website
Opening Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 09.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Gwent Archives is the official archive for the five local authorities in the Gwent area.
Gwent Archives
Steelworks Road
Ebbw Vale
NP23 6AA
Telephone: 01495 766261
Email: enquiries(at)gwentarchives.gov.uk
Twitter:@GwentArchives
Facebook:@GwentArchives
Gwent Archives website
Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Friday 9.30am – 12.30pm and 1.30 – 4.30pm
Gwynedd Archives Service welcomes the public to visit its Record Offices to use and enjoy the wide range of documents, photographs, maps and newspapers that are kept.
Gwynedd Archives Service
Caernarfon Record Office
Swyddfa’r Cyngor
Caernarfon
LL55 1SH
Telephone: 01286 679 095
Email: ArchifdyCaernarfon(at)gwynedd.llyw.cymru
Gwynedd Archives Service – Caernarfon Record Office website
Opening Hours:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am - 12.30pm, 1.30pm - 5pm
Gwynedd Archives Service welcomes the public to visit its Record Offices to use and enjoy the wide range of documents, photographs, maps and newspapers that are kept.
Gwynedd Archive Service
Meirionnydd Record Office
Gwynedd Council
Ffordd y Bala
Dolgellau
LL40 2YF
Telephone: 01341 424682
E-mail: archifau(at)gwynedd.llyw.cymru
Gwynedd Archives Service – Meirionnydd Record Office website
Opening Hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9.30am - 12.30pm, 1.30pm - 5pm
The Library’s collection of archives and manuscripts is very extensive, and the documents within them cover a huge variety of sizes, subjects and formats. From the medieval charters of the Cistercian abbey of Strata Marcella to recent records of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, from the political archive of the late Gwynfor Evans to the scrapbooks of the boxer Freddie Welsh, and from the wills of ordinary people to national treasures, the archives at NLW contain information extending to every branch of knowledge.
The National Library of Wales
Aberystwyth
SY23 3BU
Telephone: 01970 632800
Email: gofyn(at)library.wales
Twitter:@NLWales
Twitter:@NLWArchives
Facebook:@llgcymrunlwales
Website:The National Library of Wales
Opening Hours:
Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am – 4:30pm
We collect historical records relating to North East Wales, and preserve them for future generations. We hold a wide range of original records, including registers of baptisms, burials and marriages, newspapers, photographs, maps, court records, deeds, trade directories and more. Our records date from the twelfth to the twenty-first century.
North East Wales Archives has two branches; one in Hawarden (previously known as Flintshire Record Office) and one in Ruthin (previously known as Denbighshire Archives)
North East Wales Archives (Hawarden)
The Old Rectory
Rectory Lane
Hawarden
CH5 3NR
Telephone: 01244 532364
North East Wales Archives (Ruthin)
The Old Gaol
46 Clwyd Street
Ruthin
LL15 1HP
Telephone: 01824 708250
E-mail: archives(at)newa.wales
Twitter: @NEWalesArchives
Facebook:@NorthEastWalesArchives
North East Wales Archives website
Opening Hours:
The Hawarden branch has the following opening times:
Monday,Tuesday and Thursday : 9.30am-4.30pm (restricted service between 12-2pm)
The Ruthin branch has the following opening times:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 9.30am-4.30pm (restricted service between 12-2pm)
Pembrokeshire Archives holds historical sources from the Middle Ages until today. Amongst our many collections are census returns, parish registers, maps, photographs, deeds and letters.
Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies
Prendergast
Haverfordwest
SA61 2PE
Telephone: 01437 775456
E-mail:record.office(at)pembrokeshire.gov.uk
Twitter: @PembsArchives
Facebook: @PembsArchives
Pembrokeshire Record Office website
Opening Hours:
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10am – 4pm
Public access will be by prior appointment only and all bookings must be made by ringing 01437 775456 between the hours of 10:00am and 4:00pm Monday to Friday
Powys Archives is located in Llandrindod Wells, and serves as the official repository for the records of the county of Powys. Our collections date from the fourteenth century and can be used for all types of research.
Powys Archives
Unit 29
Dole Road Enterprise Park
Llandrindod Wells
LD1 6DF
Website: www.storipowys.org.uk
Opening hours:
Thursday and Friday: 9.30am - 5.00pm
The Royal Commission is the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. It has the lead role in ensuring that Wales’s archaeological, built and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Library and Enquiries Service
National Monuments Record of Wales
Ffordd Penglais
Aberystwyth
SY23 3BU
Telephone: 01970 621200
Email: nmr.wales(at)rcahmw.gov.uk
Twitter:@RCAHMWales
Facebook: @RCAHMWales
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales website
Special Collections and Archives aims to preserve, promote, and develop the University Library’s historical and special research resources in order to support staff and postgraduate work and save their time with our enquiries services, to develop research collections to assist new research ventures, and to attract external scholars and grant aid to promote the research reputation of Cardiff University worldwide.
Special Collections and Archives
Arts and Social Studies Library
Colum Drive
Cardiff
CF10 3EU
Telephone: 02920 879369
Email:specialcollections(at)cardiff.ac.uk
Twitter:@CUSpecialColls
Facebook:@CUSpecialColls
Special Collections and Archives, Cardiff University website
Opening hours:
We are open by appointment only. Please email enquiries and appointment requests to specialcollections(at)cardiff.ac.uk
The Richard Burton Archives is the corporate memory and archive repository of Swansea University and holds material of local, regional and national significance. The Archives selects, preserves and makes accessible to all the records of historical value created or acquired by the University.
Richard Burton Archives
Library and Information Centre
Swansea University
Singleton Park
Swansea
SA2 8PP
Telephone: 01792 295021
Email: archives(at)swansea.ac.uk
Twitter:@SwanUniArchives
Swansea University, Richard Burton Archives website
Opening Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 9.15am – 4.15pm
The Library at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) has a collection with a focus on performance. We have over 70,000 items: books, playscripts, journals, performance scores, orchestral sets and audio/visual material.
The local library catalogue is available online.
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Archives also contribute to the Archives Hub. To browse descriptions of their archive materials, visit their Archives Hub information page.
Library
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
Castle Grounds
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3ER
Telephone: 029 2039 1331
Email: library(at)rwcmd.ac.uk
Twitter: @RWCMDLibrary
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Archives and Library website
Opening Hours (during term time):
Monday - Friday: 9am – 7pm
Saturday: 10am – 3pm
The Roderic Bowen Library & Archives, located on the Lampeter Campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, houses the University’s Special Collections including its oldest printed books, manuscripts and archives. The RBLA is one of the principal resources for academic research in Wales.
Roderic Bowen Library & Archives
University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Lampeter
SA48 7ED
Telephone: 01570 424716
Email:rodericbowenlibrary(at)uwtsd.ac.uk
Twitter: @UWTSDLib
University of Wales Trinity Saint David Archives website
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday; 9.30am – 1pm and 2pm – 4.30pm
West Glamorgan Archive Service is a joint service for the Councils of the City and County of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot County Borough. We collect documents, maps, photographs, film and sound recordings relating to all aspects of the history of West Glamorgan.
West Glamorgan Archives
Civic Centre
Oystermouth Road
Swansea
SA1 3SN
Telephone: 01792 636589
Email: westglam.archives(at)swansea.gov.uk
Twitter: @WestGlamArchive
Facebook: @WestGlamorganArchives
West Glamorgan Archive Service website
Opening hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 9am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-5pm
Neath Antiquarian Society Archives is the West Glamorgan Archive Service’s branch office in Neath. It is also the home of the Neath Antiquarian Society and holds their historic archive collections. There is a searchroom where the Society’s original documents can be consulted.
Neath Antiquarian Society Archives
Neath Mechanics’ Institute
4 Church Place
Neath
SA11 3LL
Telephone: 01792 636589.
West Glamorgan Archive Service – Neath Antiquarian Society Archives website
Opening hours:
Monday: 09.30am - 12.30pm, 1.30pm - 4.45pm
The Wrexham Archives and Local Studies Service is the place in Wrexham to do your research on local history and family history.
Wrexham Archives and Local Studies Service
Wrexham County Borough Museum and Archives
Regent Street
Wrexham
LL11 1RB
Telephone: 01978 297480
Email: archives(at)wrexham.gov.uk
Wrexham Archives and Local Studies website
Opening Hours:
Monday 10am-5pm
Wednesday-Friday 10am-5pm
Last Saturday of every month 11am-4pm