Record Office Admission

You don't need to book to visit the Record Office, but you do need to come with ID because we operate the County Archives Research Network (CARN) ticket system. If you do not already have a CARN ticket you will need to register on your first visit. Registration is free.

Day tickets will give you access to the Office for one day and are suitable for those who intend to visit the Office either once or only occasionally.

We operate 2 types of Day Tickets, Red and White.

Red Day Tickets will allow you access to any materials on the open shelves but will not give you access to the strongroom.
You will require proof of your name, such as:

White Day Tickets will give you access to all the resources including open shelve materials and everything held in the strongroom.
You will require proof of your name and address, such as:

(Please note that passports do not contain addresses.)

Those who visit the Office regularly should obtain a CARN (County Archive Research Network) ticket.

The County Archives Research Network (CARN) is a network of different record offices which have come together to have one standard ticket system. This means that when you get a CARN ticket from this office you can use it at any of the other offices that are part of the network. If you already have a CARN ticket issued at one of the other offices you can use that here.

These tickets are free; they are valid for four years and will give you access to any record office that belongs to the Research Network. You will need to produce some proof of identification containing a name and address eg. driving licence, utility bill or bank statement.

Carn Tickets will give you access to all the resources including open shelve materials and everything held in the strongroom.
You will require proof of your name and address, such as:

(Please note that passports do not contain addresses.)