Plymouth and West Devon Record Office

[AnnR]

Anyone who has visited the PWDRO will know how inadequate the facilities are. In fact The National Archives has given Plymouth City Council 3 years to relocate the archives as the current building falls so far below an acceptable standard for the storage of original records. Failure to do so will result in the records being removed from the city and possibly split up. The records may be taken to Kew, and I have also heard Portsmouth being mentioned as a home for the naval records. There doesn't seem to have been any progress in the last 12 months since the ultimatum was given.

Apparently a public meeting is being held next Friday to discuss the issue. I came across the details on the Devon FHS website under General News and thought others might be interested.

[Jane Elderfield]

Thanks, Ann, for this information. A bit scary that original records are in "inadequate storage".

I wanted to order a baptismal entry recently from this office. The online catalogue said the Register was "not fit to be produced" (but the archivist kindly searched a microfiche index for me, and replied by email).