Archives and local history
You can find out about
Kent's past by visiting one of our 3 archive centres and 15
local history collections in libraries.
Our 3 archive centres are:
- the Centre for Kentish Studies:
holding official records including those of the county council,
parishes, and boroughs, as well as documents deposited by
individuals and businesses;
- the Canterbury Cathedral Archives:
holding the records of the Cathedral, Canterbury Diocese,
Canterbury City Council and of individuals and businesses of the
Canterbury area;
- the East Kent Archives Centre:
holding material for the Dover, Shepway and Thanet District Council
areas.
Please note: To avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend
that you telephone the relevant archive centre to book a seat. You
should also check whether the documents in which you are interested
will be available.
Someone will get back to you to confirm your booking as soon as
possible.
If you are unable to visit our centres we can, for a fee, carry
out research on your behalf.
The archives service online catalogue contains
information on many of the items within the collections we care for
(Please note: the catalogue is still under development and is
regularly updated).
Kent's larger libraries also hold collections of printed
material for their area. These can be very useful and rich sources
for local history. The main collections are at the following
libraries: Ashford,
Canterbury, Dartford, Deal, Dover, Folkestone, Gravesend,
Maidstone, Margate, Ramsgate, Sevenoaks, Sheerness, Sittingbourne,
Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells.
For details of items held in Kent libraries' local history
collections consult the online library catalogue.
