Explore — Explore Your Archive

Archives for All, Anywhere, Anytime

Explore Your Archive is an Archives and Records Association platform to encourage everyone to visit, use, celebrate and be inspired by archives in the UK & Ireland.

What is an archive and what do archivists do?

Understanding the role of archives

A place where knowledge is stored and safeguarded for the use and benefit of all.

We promote the stories unveiled from UK & Ireland archives

RNLI Stories of Courage 1939-45: a Project to Record and Remember Second World War Stories

RNLI Stories of Courage 1939-45 is a project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund focused on preserving the charity’s Second World […]

138+ Years and Counting – The History of Queen Square Library and Archives

Beginnings 1888-1949 Appearing in London’s Queen Square as the Medical Library of the National Hospital for the Paralysed and Epileptic, Queen Square […]

Folklore in the Archives of Cultural Tradition

To round off this month’s theme of Folklore, the University of Sheffield’s Archives and Special Collections team has dived into their Archives […]

Beyond the Boats: the Photographic Collection of the Scottish Fisheries Museum

Fishing boats at sea, crews hauling catches ashore, bustling fish markets and busy harbours are among the images we might expect to […]

Hidden Treasures: Unexpected Finds in The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre

When people think of archives, they often imagine endless shelves of boxes filled with official reports, handwritten letters, and fading photographs. While […]

A surprise in ‘The Surprise’ Inn, Croydon

For today’s ‘EYA Surprise’ blog we visited a small pub in Shirley, Croydon, a town with a rich and layered history dating back to the medieval times. The pub, locally known as “The Surprise”, has many unexpected and interesting things woven into its fabric.