The first documents to be placed in our custody were received in the early 1860s. Originally it was intended that the collections should relate to Shakespeare and his times, including the Stratford background. As a result we now hold unique Shakespearean material of national importance, many of which are described in Robert Bearman's Shakespeare in the Stratford Records, Stroud 1994.

However, with the increasing awareness of the importance of conservation, coupled with the enthusiasm of the early librarians, this objective was soon widened to include many thousands of historical records relating not only to Stratford but to large areas of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, ranging in date from the 1150s to the present day.

These range from mid twelfth-century charters to twentieth-century cinema programmes, from ancient parish registers to the latest electoral rolls, from seventeenth-century estate maps to recent planning applications. For Stratford we hold documentation of some sort on every town-centre property and for most of the people who have lived there. The same applies for many local (and not so local) villages.

Alongside these archives, we have built up a fine local and family history library (including local newspapers, from 1806) and an important colllection of prints, drawings and photographs.

In short, if you are engaged on any aspect of local history research concerning Stratford and the surrounding area, or tracing a family who lived there, we will almost certainly have something here to assist you.

Much of this archive material is unique and irreplaceable and is therefore kept in purpose-built strongrooms, under controlled conditions. However, nearly everything is fully described in catalogues and indexes in the Catalogue Room and on our Online archive catalogue . From these you can identify material relevant to your research, which is then brought up to you. Our collection of local books and pamphlets is on open access and listed in our Online Library catalogue .

Expert staff are on hand to help and advise you at every stage, and there is also available a series of leaflets explaining how the catalogues work, the scope of the main collections and how to go about tackling various aspects of local or family history research.

Similar collections are held at the Warwickshire County Record Office: some are catalogued at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/archivesunlocked .

COLLECTING POLICY

Since the 1940s, when the Warwickshire County Record Office assumed responsibility for safeguarding the county's records, the Trust has confined its active collecting to Stratford-upon-Avon. We are always pleased to accept, by gift, permanent loan or bequest, material of any date which helps document the history of the town.

CONSERVATION

The Trust's Archive Conservation Department ensures that collections are properly catalogued, safely stored and protected and, where necessary, given conservation treatment.