Archives & resources for Plymouth
Plymouth and West Devon Record Office
Community Services Department, Unit 3, Clare Place, Plymouth PL4 0JW 01752 305940 pwdro@plymouth.gov.uk plymhearts.org/ archives Looks after parish records and rentals, administrative records, business collections plus records of schools and hospitals. There’s an online catalogue ( web.plymouth.gov.uk/archivescatalogue), plus research guides to general family history, coroners’ records and more. Remember the parish registers held here are available through Findmypast. Open 9.30am-5.30pm Tuesday to Thursday and 9.30am-4.30pm on Fridays.
Arts and Heritage Service of Plymouth City Council
plymhearts.org An umbrella group comprising PWDRO, Plymouth Museum, Smeaton’s Tower, the Merchants’ House and Elizabethan House museums. It’s also the best place to keep an eye on progress of the Plymouth History Centre project.
Plymouth Libraries
www.plymouth.gov.uk/libraries/localandfamilyhistory
01752 305901 Plymouth Libraries is responsible for providing access to secondary local studies material. The website leads to pages detailing resources for local, family and naval history material, mainly available at the city’s central library (167-171 Armada Way, Plymouth PL1 1HZ, 01752 305901). Highlights include GRO indexes, street indexes, maps and photos, online newspapers and local Plymouth newspapers. Census records up to 1911 are available online in all libraries ( except Eggbuckland and Estover) through subscriptions to Ancestry Library Edition and Findmypast.
Devon FHS
01392 433212 enquiries@ devonfhs.org.uk www.devonfhs.org.uk Runs the Tree House Research Centre in Exeter, open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It holds a library of county material, including Devon parish registers on fiche, plus society sources in various formats. Lots of society- produced indexes and transcriptions are also available via Findmypast.
South West Heritage Trust
swheritage.org.uk/ devon-archives The South West Heritage Trust looks after Devon archives and local studies material outside the jurisdiction of PWDRO. There’s the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter and the North Devon Record Office branch in Barnstaple. The Centre has parish material, hospital and school records, plus records of the Diocese of Exeter and city of Exeter. The website above has useful research guides detailing the likes of bishops’ transcripts, crime and punishment, civil registration, electoral records, plus parish registers and parish chest records.
Devon Heritage Centre
Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Exeter EX2 7NL, 01392 384253, devonarchives@swheritage.org.uk
North Devon Record Office
Barnstaple Library, Tuly Street, Barnstaple EX31 1EL, 01271 318792, northdevon@swheritage.org.uk
South West Image Bank
SWiB Archive & Gallery, 25 Parade, Barbican, Plymouth PL1 2JN 01752 665445 www.southwestimagebank.com Looks after more than 160 individual photographic archives dating back to the 1870s, including glass plates, negatives, slides and prints.
Mayflower 400
mayflower400uk.com Has details of Mayflower commemorations being planned in various partner cities during 2020.
South West Film & Television Archive
Melville Building, Royal William Yard, Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3RP 01752 202650 info@ swfta.org.uk www.swfta.org.uk
Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery
Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AJ 01752 304774, museum@ plymouth.gov.uk, plymhearts.org/ pcmag Currently closed for redevelopment. Other attractions in Plymouth include Smeaton’s Tower, Elizabethan House and Merchant’s House, although the latter is currently closed for conservation work.
Friends of Devon’s Archives
foda.org.uk
Devon History Society
devonhistorysociety.org.uk
Devonshire Association
devonassoc.org.uk