Stoke on Trent City Archives

Contact

As staffing levels in the office are reduced, we would prefer that you contact us by email: stoke.archives@stoke.gov.uk or letter.

Our public telephone line will be open during our opening hours (as shown below). However, we will listen to any messages left once a day, Monday to Friday and will respond as requested. 

Phone: 01782 238420

Our online catalogue: Gateway to the Past

Opening hours

Our opening hours from the week beginning 5 December 2022 until temporary closure are: 

• Friday 9 December 9:30am to 4:00pm
• Friday 16 December 9:30am to 4:00pm
• Friday 23 December 9:30am to 4:00pm
• Friday 30 December CLOSED
• Friday 6 January 9:30am to 4:00pm

From the week beginning 9 January the period of temporary closure begins. Please see below and at www.stokearchivesismoving.uk.

Public access during period of reduced access, followed by temporary closure.

Stoke-on-Trent City Archives is moving to a new home at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery just next door. This will bring together the City’s Archive and Museum collections under one roof for the first time. The move, also for the first time, brings together all of our collections (archives, local studies and potteries library) in one purpose-built strongroom.

In preparation for the move, all of our collections need to be carefully packaged by the Archives staff and volunteers. This is a huge task and with regret we will have to reduce our on-site services temporarily. From the week beginning 5 December, we will be open to the public on Fridays only, from 9.30 until 4pm. This will reduce further from the week beginning 9 January, from which time we will only be open for urgent legal enquiries that cannot be resolved with photocopying.

We are very conscious that due to the pandemic and then reduced staffing levels, you have already had a period of reduced access. We very much regret limiting services again but we hope you will bear with us during this challenging but exciting time for the City Archives.

You can follow all the stages of the move on our Stoke on Trent City Archives is moving website at: www.stokearchivesismoving.uk.

The new reading room in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery is due to open later in 2023. At that point, we very much look forward to welcoming you to our new home. Throughout this period, apart from a short period around the dates of the moves, we will continue our remote services, answering enquiries and providing copying services. During this period you will still be able to use FindMyPast and Ancestry.com in Stoke-on-Trent City Libraries. Keele University Special Collections and Archives has a very good local studies collection and access to some newspapers. Staffordshire Libraries (including Newcastle under Lyme) offer free access to British Newspaper Archive online.

From the week beginning 5 December 2022 we will be open to the public on Fridays only, from 9.30 until 4pm.

From the week beginning 9 January we will only be open for urgent legal enquiries that cannot be resolved with photocopying.

Please see the Coronavirus update page for further information.

Bank holiday closures

Appointments

Please email us to make an appointment (see email address above).

While social distancing measures are in place the number of research spaces in our reading room is significantly reduced, so reservations are compulsory. 

Further details of reader registration, social distancing and hygiene measures are available through our planning a visit page.

Restrictions to archive and local studies and pottery library material production

All archive, local studies and pottery library material (including microfilm and microfiche) should be ordered in advance. Please email our public services team to discuss your requirements. You may also find our online catalogue Gateway to the Past helpful.

Until further notice, all items generally require one weeks’ notice for production in our reading room.

These restrictions will be reviewed regularly.

Access and facilities

Parking arrangements

There is no public car park at the city central library. View more about car parking on the city council website.

Disabled badge holders may park for 3 hours without charge in on-street car parking bays and all day in off-street car parks.

Public transport

Stoke on Trent rail station is about 1.5 miles from the city central library. All buses from the stop directly outside the rail station serve Hanley city centre.

Location