You may find that some of our Labs applications are running slowly. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for you patience while we work to improve the service.
We've created The National Archives Labs because we want to involve you, the customer, in the development of our services. Whether it be an improvement to an existing service or a completely new and innovative way of presenting the rich and vast data we hold, we want you to tell us what you think. Essentially, The National Archives Labs is a test area for you to try out our new ideas without affecting the main website. Read more
Updated – Linked data and PRONOM
PRONOM is The National Archives’ technical registry – we plan to release the data it holds, in a linked open data format, and make it easier to reuse.
Improving search
As our catalogues get bigger – and they are now up to over 20 million items – it becomes increasingly hard to search for relevant material. In common with many other institutions we are developing a system of classification which sorts information into an intuitive and meaningful hierarchy.
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UPDATED – Person search
Our person search tool has been enhanced so you can search for names both in our catalogues and in census returns and other records hosted by some of our external partners.
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Transparency
We have released our first tranche of data in response to the Prime Minister’s letter on transparency. This covers details of contracts, energy consumption, tenders and spending, as well as expense claims by Directors. Read more
UK history photo finder
This tool allows you to search and view digitised historical photographs of the UK and Ireland. Starting with the Dixon-Scott collection, which holds more than 14,000 photographs taken in the 1920s-1940s, we will be adding new photographic resources in time. You can search by location and view images for free.
Domesday on a map
This tool enables you to search and browse over 90% of the places mentioned in Domesday Book.
Valuation Office map finder
Use this tool to identify and order Valuation Office Survey maps of England and Wales from 1910 to 1915. Our Catalogue contains descriptions of nearly 50,000 Valuation Office Survey maps and this innovative tool provides a simple way to identify and order a map without having to visit The National Archives. The process previously required a complex, multi-stage onsite search.