Local heritage


Supporting and encouraging a greater appreciation of Suffolk’s heritage.

Suffolk has a rich cultural heritage that we at Suffolk County Council want to share with the widest possible audience.

Suffolk Heritage Direct - the gateway to Suffolk’s heritage collections

Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people. This site is still under development and will change over time - Suffolk Heritage Direct.

Suffolk Heritage Direct is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services. Including images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and life-long learners and key contacts for heritage organisations. 

Quick tips for using the Suffolk Heritage Direct  advanced search and anytext search


Museums Service

Although we do not run any museums ourselves, we support the work of museums in preserving and interpreting the physical heritage of Suffolk.

Suffolk Record Office

Based at Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Lowestoft, the Suffolk Record Office holds an amazing range of information about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Whatever aspect of Suffolk you want to look into, we have all kinds of materials that will help you.

Some of our records go back to the 12th century, but not everything is old.  You’ll also find items from recent times relating to individuals and a wide range of organizations, such as the County Council, local authorities, churches, chapels, estates, schools, hospitals, businesses, families, clubs and societies. We preserve them all - from parchments to CD ROMs - and keep them safe for when you want to see them.

Archaeology

The county Archaeological Service promotes the conservation, understanding and enhancement of Suffolk's distinctive historic environment.