Northumberland Record Office

The aims of Northumberland Record Office, now known as Northumberland Archives, are to collect and preserve resources relating to Northumberland and then make these documents publicly accessible. 

Northumberland Archives comprises the Northumberland Archive Service, Northumberland County Council’s Local Studies collection, 3d object collection (relates to the history of social history and coalmining in South East Northumberland) and the Northumberland Archives website.

Covering four linear miles, the documents cover a period of 800 years and come from official or private sources, covering a wide range of topics.

These resources come in many different forms, such as manuscripts, photographs, audio and moving images and can be anything from wills to surveys, diaries to deeds and court orders to recipes.  

Whether you are researching the history of a house, tracing your family history, conducting research for an assignment, or studying the history of your local area, you will find the documents held of use.  

The knowledgeable and helpful staff are always on hand to help should you require assistance.

If you have any documents you would like to donate to the Archive so they can be preserved and made available to the public, they would be pleased to hear from you.

Information about Northumberland Record Office

Collections

For information regarding their collections, please visit their Home Page and peruse their online catalogue.  These collections include:

• Anglican Parish Registers
• Census Returns
• International Genealogical Index(IGI)
• Monumental Inscriptions
• Newspapers
• Nonconformist Registers
• Wills and Probate Records

Opening Hours

It is also possible to discover more about their opening hours.

Location and Directions

Woodhorn Archives is situated within Cutter Building on the Woodhorn site, located off the A189 Coastal Route east of Ashington, Northumberland.  

If you are using a sat nav, please look out for the brown and white signs as you get close to the establishment because Woodhorn’s postcode will take you to an incorrect location.  

Ashington Station is 15 minutes walk from the building.  

Morpeth is the closest main line railway station to the Archive.  

A car park is available on site, costing £3.50 per day, which includes designated spaces for blue badge holders.  Woodhorn Members can park for nothing.  

Refreshments

The Winding House Cafe is available in the building, serving snacks and light meals. They offer homemade scones, cakes and sandwiches, soup, toasted sandwiches and baked potatoes.  Made in Northumberland, Doddington Dairy ice-cream is sold in the cafe.

Research Service

If you are unable to visit in person, they offer a research service.

Readers’ Tickets

Woodhorn Archives does not accept Archives Cards. You will need to show official proof of your name and address and fill in a registration form to be issued with a Woodhorn Card which is used in the Archive.  

Acceptable forms of ID include a drivers licence, passport, council tax bill or utility bill.

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For further details of Record Offices in Northumberland, please visit my pages regarding Berwick-upon-Tweed Archive and Tyne and Wear Archives Service.