or visit Huntingdonshire Archives
Cambridgeshire Archives holds archives and other information sources relating to the former administrative areas of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely (these are the present day districts of East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire, Fenland, and the City of Cambridge).
The office also has a library of national and local history publications, to help research.
Opening hours
| Day |
Times |
| Monday |
Closed |
| Tuesday to Friday (no document productions between 12.45pm - 2.00 pm and after 4.30pm) |
9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday evening by appointment only. Please contact us by 2.30pm to order any records you require for the evening. |
5 - 7pm
|
|
The following Saturdays in 2013 by appointment only:
20 April, 18 May, 15 June, 20 July, 17 August, 21 September, 19 October, 16 November, 21 December.
Appointments should be made and documents ordered by 12.45pm on Friday.
|
10am - 4pm
|
| Sunday |
Closed |
The searchroom will also be closed on the following days in 2013:
Christmas: Tuesday 24 December early closing at 1pm;
Wednesday 25 December - Wednesday 1 January 2014 inclusive
Appointments
We strongly advise that you contact us in advance to book a seat in our searchroom. Space is limited and you risk being turned away if we are busy. It is especially important to book in advance if you wish to consult maps or other large documents.
Please note there may be a charge of £5.00 for parking at Shire Hall on Saturdays.
Our Historical Research Service is available for anyone who is unable to visit in person.
Document production
Target production time for records held in our strongrooms at Shire Hall is within 20 minutes.
Records held at our outstore will be produced within 10 working days.
Copies of records
See details of our reprographics service
How to find us
Cambridgeshire Archives is located on the ground floor of Shire Hall, Castle Hill, Cambridge, CB3 0AP on the A1307, one mile north of the city centre and two miles from the railway station. View location map.
Getting here
There are currently five Park & Ride sites around Cambridge at Babraham Road, Madingley Road, Milton Road, Trumpington and Newmarket Road.
Bus services run frequently from the railway station to and from the city centre as well as between the city centre and Shire Hall.
Car parking
There is no visitor car park at Shire Hall during the working week. Given prior notice, however, we can try to reserve you one of the limited number of parking spaces available on-site but this is strictly on a first-come first-served basis. Please contact us for further details.
Visitors are suggested to try to park their vehicle in the Pay and Display car park at the rear of the site. The car park ticket machines accept debit cards as well as coins.
If you are travelling by car in order to deposit archives, rather than to use the searchroom, then please contact us first to arrange an appointment for your delivery.
Disabled access
There are steps to the main entrance of Shire Hall but ramped access is available through the Octagon entrance. We advise wheelchair users to contact us in advance so we can advise on parking and reserve you a suitable table.
On arrival
Visitors should first report to the main Shire Hall reception desk before coming through to the archives where lockers are provided for all bags.
CARN tickets
The office is a member of the County Archive Research Network (CARN) and all users of the search room are required to have a valid CARN readers ticket.
These can be issued free of charge as long as you provide official proof of name address (such as a driver's licence, bank or pension book, gas bill, etc). Please note that there will be a charge of £1.00 to replace lost or mislaid tickets.
Refreshments
There are various pubs serving food close by and a wider range of eating places in the town centre about 10 minutes walk away. Visitors are also welcome to use the facilities at the Bailey Rooms, at the far northern end of the Shire Hall site.
Shop
We stock a range of posters, books, reproduction maps and CDs relating to Cambridgeshire and various guides for local and family history. For a full price list and order form, please click on the link below.