The Public Records Office

The Georgian House Hotel is a great place to stay if you are planning to visit the Public Records Office.  The office is based in Richmond and is easy to reach by underground.

The Public Records Office in London is the place to go if you want to find out about your British family history. The Public Records Office (PRO) is a public service run by the United Kingdom government. Some documents are over one thousand years old and access to the public is free of charge.

The Public Records Office is on a split site. The main office of the Public Records Office can be found at Kew, Richmond, which is an easy journey from the Georgian House Hotel. Simply take the underground, District line, direction Richmond, from Victoria Station, for viewing original documents at the Public Records Office.

The other section of the Public Records Office is the Family Records Centre (FRC). FRC is based at 1 Myddelton Street, London EC1R 1UW. This has a wealth of genealogical records, relating to the registration of births, adoptions, marriages and deaths. It also shares premises with the Office of National Statistics, housing the research facilities previously held at St Catherine’s House and the Census Reading Rooms in Chancery Lane. Access is best from Georgian House Hotel, taking the underground from Victoria to King’s Cross on the Victoria Line.

For anyone interested in genealogy, the Public Records Office and the Family Records Centre is an invaluable source of information. At the Public Records Office it is possible to view the most popular documents on microfilm, to prevent damage to the originals. There is also a program to digitise the most popular items, though it is likely that there will be a charge for these items.

The Public Record Office has records dating back thousands of years. The oldest public record is the Domesday Book dated 1086. However, the Public Record Office holds some private records prior to that, the oldest being an Anglo Saxon land deed dated 974. In the middle ages the public records were the personal records of the King, necessary to the running and governing of the country. Wherever he moved around the country, these records were transported with him along with his other possessions of value and importance. Some of the chests used for transportation are on view at the Public Records Office at Kew.

Some of the most popular items and records, including the Domesday Book are shown in the Millenium Galleries located in the Public Record Office’s Virtual Museum. You can visit this on the website at www.pro.gov.uk . There is also an excellent search facility on this site. Otherwise take the opportunity of visiting in person and take advantage of the help offered by the staff at the Public Records Office.

For more informations please visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Georgian House Hotel is ideally situated in a very central location, so visiting sights all over London is quick and easy. Why not book Georgian House Hotel when you plan a trip to the Public Records Office? You can book online or email to make a reservation on reception@georgianhousehotel.co.uk, or telephone on 0044(0)207 834 1438