Edinburgh City Archives

Service update 11th December 2025

The Archives search room will re-open on Tuesday 20th of January 2026. We will be open by appointment only, from Tuesday to Thursday, 10am - 4.30pm. We require one weeks notice in advance of bookings to ensure the records are available to view. 

Please be aware that we expect to close again in the summer / early autumn to allow us to complete the move to new premises. More precise dates will be confirmed nearer the time.

Many thanks for your patience at this time.

Please send any queries to Archives@edinburgh.gov.uk  

We are the archive service for the Council and its predecessor authorities. In addition to Council records, we also collect records relating to the Edinburgh area and the people of Edinburgh.

The records we collect can be created by clubs, societies, individuals, businesses, and organisations, or by council employees and committees. Our records span from the 12th century through to the present day.

Our collections cover

• education, for example, primary and secondary schools
• commerce and trade, for example, businesses, associations and incorporations
• defence, for example, militias, oaths of allegiance and volunteer regiments
• law and order, for example, municipal courts and policing
• leisure, for example, hobby and sports clubs
• local government, for example, Council, finance, housing, personnel and taxation
• religion, for example, Episcopalian
• social welfare, for example, charities, poor law and social work
• transport and Infrastructure, for example, busses, roads, trams and utilities.

Our aim is to collect, preserve and promote these records and to make them available to the public and other users.

If you have any enquiries about our records, please get in touch and we will do our best to help you.

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