The Parliamentary Archives are a national public sector archive, held by the UK Parliament. The Parliamentary Archives do not specifically collect archives relating to religious or ethnic groups, but as a reflection of British society it holds relevant records as part of its collections, and holds legal records, personal papers, Parliamentary discussions of the Holocaust, and records of legislation concerning the Jewish communities of the United Kingdom.

Archive Description

Parliamentary records are at the heart of British democracy. They have embodied our liberties, rights and responsibilities for over five hundred years. The Parliamentary Archives help Parliament work more efficiently and openly, enabling it to make decisions and act as effectively as possible. The Archives aims to inspire everyone with the compelling story of Parliament, people, and communities from 1497 up to the present day.

The Archives is a shared service of both Houses of Parliament, based in the House of Lords but jointly funded by both Houses. It provides innovative and expert information management, preservation, access and outreach services enabling anyone in the world to use Parliament’s records. The Archives contain many of the most important constitutional records in the UK, such as the Bill of Rights, the 1832 Great Reform Act and the Death Warrant of Charles I, as well as four million others.

The collections are a rich and exciting resource for exploring local, national and international history from the fifteenth century to the present day and can be broken down into six main groups:

• House of Commons
• House of Lords
• History, art and architecture of the Palace of Westminster
• Societies and Staff
• Private Papers
• The UK Parliament Web Archive

Access Information

The archive is open to the public, by appointment. They are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. Photographic ID is required, and more information can be found on their website. Appointments should be made at least five working days in advance with: archives@parliament.uk

Online Accessibility

An online catalogue is available for the Archive collections.

Street Address

Parliamentary Archives
Houses of Parliament
London
SW1A 0PW