Northumberland Archives is the archive service for Northumberland – England’s most northerly county. We collect records relating to the history of Northumberland, its communities and people in our offices at Berwick-upon-Tweed and Woodhorn. Where physical condition or access restrictions allow records can be accessed in our public Study Centre.
Our website provides information about how you can access our services in person or remotely by visiting our Study Centre, ordering certificates and copies, accessing our catalogue, online learning materials and our social media pages. Details of many of our collections are available in our own catalogue and via the Discovery catalogue. You can also learn about some of the projects that we are involved with and all about our consultancy services.
We are always pleased to provide advice about collections in our care and our services. You can contact us by telephone – 01670 624358 or by e-mail archives@northumberland.gov.uk
Study Centre Information
Woodhorn:
The Study Centre is open 10am-4pm, Wednesday-Friday.
The Study Centre is open the first Saturday of each month, 10am-4pm.
We are offering ‘Behind the Scene Tours’ on the second Saturday of the month: please book tours here
On the third Saturday of each month you can book a research surgery here.
Users of our service must register prior to using The Study Centre. Northumberland Archives is a member of the Archives Card scheme. Details of the scheme can be found here –https://archivescard.com/. You can begin your registration process online before you visit us.
The Study Centre is located within the main Cutter building on the Woodhorn site. Last document production time is 3.30pm
Please note: Study Centre opening hours differ from those of Woodhorn Museum.
Berwick Record Office:
Opening hours are 9.30am-12.45pm & 2pm- 4.45 on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
** Document requests must be made in advance via Eventbrite or email**
Please click here to book a place for documents
(you will need to specify documents and include reference numbers)
Visitors wanting to consult our family history resources or ask for advice can just turn up on our open days and we will do our best to help you.
Piecing together the Penroses Part Two: George Junior and the beginnings of the business
George Junior is the business’ namesake. The second son of Owl Pen and Hannah was born in 1864. The story of his elder brother, Thomas, is a sad and rather morbid one. In terms of our own passed down memories, nothing was really known of Thomas. Born in 1859, he disappeared from the census; his last mention was in 1881 age 22. He is detailed as being blind and then all trace vanishes. Rumour was he ended up in an
BERWICK NEWSPAPERS
BERWICK ADVERTISER, 3RD APRIL 1924 BERWICK NEW STATION (FROM THE BERWICK DEBATING SOCIETY MAGAZINE) Much ink has been spilt and hot air wasted over the necessity of having a new bridge over the river Tweed at Berwick, and while all are agreed that this proposal is of vital importance to the future development of the town, many differences of opinion are noted as to the location of the structure. The many expressions of interest in the scheme from all sections
Piecing together the Penroses: Part One
Sophie Towers, x3 great-granddaughter of the ‘original’ George Penrose, looks back at the origins of her family name and the legacies they left behind. In 2023, we said goodbye to a place that holds a mountain of memories for our family. George Penrose and Sons was taken over in 2017 when the final Penrose retired; Peter Lewis being the 2x great grandson of the original George. The name and business Penroses are still in existence, thanks to Guy and Sarah
Online Exhibitions
Visit our exhibitions page to view some of the highlights from our collections.
Leaflets and Forms
Looking for a particular leaflet or form? You can find all of our documents in one place here.
Blog Posts
Discover the stories hidden in the archives and catch-up with the latest project news on our blog page.
Online Catalogue
Whether you are looking for something specific or would just like to browse our collections, our online catalogue can help.
Opening Times
Find out when we are open, how you can get to us and any changes to our opening hours.