The National Archives

Open to all, The National Archives is a place to explore 1,000 years of history - from Shakespeare's will to tweets from Downing Street. This impressive building in Kew is set in beautiful grounds and offers visitors a diverse programme of events, activities, research spaces and hosts special exhibitions throughout the year. We are a non-ministerial department, and the official archive and publisher for the UK Government, and for England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic national documents. We are expert advisers in information and records management and are a cultural, academic and heritage institution. We fulfil a leadership role for the archive sector and work to secure the future of physical and digital records. We collect and secure the future of the government record, from Shakespeare’s will to tweets from Downing Street, to preserve it for generations to come, making it as accessible and available as possible. Our dedicated exhibition spaces host immersive exhibitions and curated collections of records held at The National Archives. You can discover the past through our series of online talks, webinars and ‘in conversations’, brought to you by our collections experts and special guests. You can delve into our exciting range of on site events, hosted here at The National Archives. Travel through time with our family activities. Our Time Travel Club family events are a great way for you and your children to learn and have fun.