Changes at the Archives & Family records centre

Changes were announced yesterday in the Commons by Hilary Armstrong & the
House of Lords by Baroness Ashton.
In the press release it includes a date to close the FRC at Islington &
relocate it to Kew.

Daphne Tregear...

That's unfortunate for us 'out-of-towners' with London ancestors who can
currently find accommodation in Clerkenwell or the City and cover LMA,
FRC, SoG and Guildhall Library on foot (and save battling with the
commuters), and just use the bus for City of Westminster Archives and
the train for Kew.

Pity they can't relocate the lot to Kew and create a 'genealogy
hypermarket' ;-> With free parking ;-> ;->

Mike...

for goodness sake don't say that - they might just do it.
Personally I am furious about this as living on the other side of London it
takes me two hours to get to Kew.

squealing...

It would take me a lot longer to get to Kew & I 'only' live in S London!

Contact details for the Minister (MP for Durham) who made the announcement

Irony of irony - she is the "Social Exclusion Minister" ...

Graeme Wall...

Well its got the free parking.

Charles Ellson...

Eve McLaughlin...

That is a shocker - so many people find it convenient to have several
sources of information grouped within reasonable walking distance of
each other - so they can do a few hours at FRC, a few at LMA, or SOG, or
one of the Borough Archives - Kew is way out of that orbit. I don't
personally use the FRC now, but that is because I can't walk far, and
need to be able to park (and not pay congestion charges to get there).
But I am not typical of the very many genealogists who do use several
repositories in a day.

Parrotfish...

I went to the FRC today, and they are refurbishing the 'Eating area' and
cloakrooms.
Lockers are now in the research room.
In readiness for getting the Estate Agents in ?

Hugh Watkins...

they should make the whole thing 100% digital

with just a small office for counselling adoptees

squealing...

Like was done with one of the massive collection of military service
records? After 'digitising' them they wanted to dispose of the originals.

Its only because of the beneficence of the Nat. Army Museum that they were
saved, so that one day illegible images can be reread, and the original
notes on the back sides of the cards can be seen.
And then when the next technology comes along they can be made publically
available again using the best quality images.

(That's not to say that I don't agree with your general intent, just that
there's more to archives than page images & indices)

Hugh W

From the National Archives website:
"It has been announced today that The National Archives and the Office of
Public Sector Information will merge. " ...
"We would like to emphasise that the merger will have no impact on the
services we provide to our customers and stakeholders - it is very much

Eve McLaughlin...

Oh yes? Will they double the parking space at Kew to cope with the
extra users.

business as usual. No jobs are being lost as a result of the merger and we
are confident of being able to continue a very high level of service." ...

"We also intend to reduce the four sites we currently have - Kew, the
Family Records Centre and Office of Public Sector Information offices in
London and Norwich - to just two (Kew and a small London office).

Charles Ellson...

Eve McLaughlin...

I can't see staff from Norwich locating to London - the cost of housing
alone would be against that.

Our Family Records Centre staff and services will be relocating to Kew,
where they will manage a dedicated family history service, by the end of
2008. We are holding a public consultation on this move and our Minister,

octiger...

So, first they make the decision, and later they have "a public
consultation". Sounds familiar :-(

The issues raised on this thread already would of course have been very
relevant to a properly-timed consultation. And they wouldn't want that
to happen would they?

Baroness of Ashton of Upholland, plans to invite family historians to a
meeting at Kew in September to discuss this and other developments in
family history service provision. Please see our website for updates."

I'd like to see what form this consultation will take...

Charles Ellson...

But how many people who use the National Archives also want to go into
London on the same day, or vice versa ?

Charani...

It would depend on what their research was and what they discovered in
one place that might take them to the other. If they timed their
visit to coincide with late opening at, say, the LMA, they could do
both.

Charles Ellson...

They could but whether the majority of NA users want or need to do so
is another matter.

Mike...

but surely its not the customers of the NA which matter here - its those of
the FRC and how much they will be inconvenienced by a move to Kew.

Charles Ellson...

What about the "customers" who are inconconvenienced by the FRC being
located in London ?

Liz...

It's an old argument that too many resources are concentrated in the
capital .... but it *is* the capital .... with historic reasons to be

Charles Ellson...

Neither are in the capital, the NA are in Richmond and the FRC is in
Islington.

holding many 'national' archives. London is accesible from the rest of

Frank Erskine...

And that, perhaps, is exactly why London, and the SE in general, is
hopelessly congested...

I can't really understand the "historic reasons" for it to hold
national archives.

Charles Ellson...

So you don't see anything circular about the alleged case for
concentrating resources in and around London ?

Charles Ellson...

Do such buildings only work within sight of the Thames ?

Charles Ellson...

Something about possession being 9/10 of the law ?

the country by various forms of public transport. Once reached the

Charles Ellson...

As are such remote locations as Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol,
Leeds, etc etc.

present FRC is within walking distance if LMA and SoG and easy to reach

Charles Ellson...

Which deals with national records the vast majority of which are
nothing to do with London.

Charles Ellson...

Which deals principally with local records.

by tube or bus are such gems as the Guildhall or First Avenue House for

Charles Ellson...

Another "local attraction"

Charles Ellson...

Whose main genealogical business doesn't essentially require a single
location anywhere, never mind in London.

wills. Not to mention its many excellent Local History libraries.

Charles Ellson...

Not "local" to most people.

Kew is, unfortunately, awkwardly placed even for Londoners :-(

Charles Ellson...

Those who cannot navigate more than three miles from the capital
presumably. It is even more awkwardly placed for Bristolians,
Mancunians and Brummies but hardly any more than the FRC.

Especially those who do not drive.

Charles Ellson...

It's got two more local stations than lots of other places and they
are no more awkwardly located than the FRC's local stations.

Liz (Greenwich UK)

I've gone between the LMA and the FRC in a day: that's easy *atm* but
I couldn't do it if the FRC is at Kew. I only get 4-5 hours research
time and that's if I don't stop for anything to eat from the time I
arrive in London to the time I leave.

myths...

I mind popping down to London (about 110 minutes door to station each
way) for the occasional activity (midweek annual service in a City
church, evening meeting, lunch with visitors from abroad who are
unwilling to come to me) a great deal less when I can take in the FRC
etc for 30 minutes at least (and often longer) before or after the
event (including the time I changed for a livery dinner before leaving
the FRC).

But Kew is too far, as is Colindale, to do as a bonus. They require
special journeys, costing more in money and time. There will still be
LMA, Westminster and Guildhall Library, but they aren't where I do
most of my look-ups.

Hugh Watkins...

We are holding a public consultation on the move of our Family Records
Centre staff and services to Kew and will be working with key
stakeholders on this. With colleagues in the Office of Public Sector
Information, we will be working out the implications in more detail of
the proposed move for their staff. Please see our website for updates.

In October 2006 we will publish a full strategy statement that will
build on the announcements already made and will describe our plan for
the next five years.

I think they should move the whole lot to Birmingham
but they would not dare

Hugh W

Eve McLaughlin...

Have you been to Kew lately, Kay? The North circular and the
interminable drive down from the roundabout to Kew is no picnic,
especially in ruch hour.

Eve McLaughlin...

ah, teach me to read on first. How about a handy bit of South west Bucks
- lots of setaside fields available.

Eve McLaughlin...

P{robably A Spokesman announcing what has been decided for us.