Suffolk Record Office

Based in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich and Lowestoft, the Suffolk Record Office holds an amazing range of information about the history of Suffolk and its people.

Some of the records we hold 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 organisations, 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.

What's New

  • Lowestoft Record Office telephone numbers changed from Monday 15 April 2013. Full details are available on the Lowestoft branch page.

Suffolk Heritage Direct

Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Suffolk Heritage Direct(external site) is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services.  It includes images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and lifelong learners and key contacts for heritage organisations.

Useful links

Which branch of the Suffolk Record Office do I need?

Ancestry (external site)

Find My Past (external site) 

19th Century newspapers (external site)

s we hold 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 organisations, 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 the
What's New
Proposal to form a new heritage organisation in partnership with The Museum of East Anglian Life.
Find My Past subscription - we are pleased to announce that all Suffolk libraries and record offices now have access to Find My Past.  This is a two year subscription.  
Suffolk Heritage Direct
Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Suffolk Heritage Direct (external site) is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services.  It includes images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and lifelong learners and key contacts for heritage organisations.
Useful links
Ancestry (external site)
Find My Past (external site) - Click on the home button to start searchingSome of the records we hold 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 organisations, 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 the
What's New
Proposal to form a new heritage organisation in partnership with The Museum of East Anglian Life.
Find My Past subscription - we are pleased to announce that all Suffolk libraries and record offices now have access to Find My Past.  This is a two year subscription.  
Suffolk Heritage Direct
Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Suffolk Heritage Direct (external site) is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services.  It includes images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and lifelong learners and key contacts for heritage organisations.
Useful links
Ancestry (external site)
Find My Past (external site) - Click on the home button to start searching
Some of the records we hold 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 organisations, 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 the
What's New
Proposal to form a new heritage organisation in partnership with The Museum of East Anglian Life.
Find My Past subscription - we are pleased to announce that all Suffolk libraries and record offices now have access to Find My Past.  This is a two year subscription.  
Suffolk Heritage Direct
Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Suffolk Heritage Direct (external site) is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services.  It includes images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and lifelong learners and key contacts for heritage organisations.
Useful links
Ancestry (external site)
Find My Past (external site) - Click on the home button to start searching
Some of the records we hold 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 organisations, 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 the
What's New
Proposal to form a new heritage organisation in partnership with The Museum of East Anglian Life.
Find My Past subscription - we are pleased to announce that all Suffolk libraries and record offices now have access to Find My Past.  This is a two year subscription.  
Suffolk Heritage Direct
Explore an amazing range of material about the history of Suffolk and its people.  Suffolk Heritage Direct (external site) is a fully searchable and interactive catalogue from the databases of the Suffolk Record Office, Britten Pears Library, some museums and Archaeology Services.  It includes images of objects, artefacts, photographs and documents, resources for teachers and lifelong learners and key contacts for heritage organisations.
Useful links
Ancestry (external site)
Find My Past (external site) - Click on the home button to start searching

In this section

A Sporting Chance

Survey of sports records in Suffolk in 2012

Continue reading A Sporting Chance…

Buy a Print

Welcome to Buy a Print - a service which offers a range of attractive prints selected from our collections for you to buy.

  1. Buy A Print: Suffolk Towns and Villages
  2. Buy a Print: Country Animals
  3. Buy a Print: Fruit and Flowers
  4. Buy a Print: Information on ordering, sizes, price, delivery and the terms and conditions
  5. Buy a Print: Military prints
  6. Buy a Print: Suffolk Churches
  7. Buy a Print: Suffolk Maps
  8. Explore Buy a Print further

Contact Suffolk Record Office

Where we are and how to get in touch

  1. Bury Record Office
  2. Ipswich Record Office
  3. Lowestoft Record Office
  4. Explore Contact Suffolk Record Office further

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Be part of history...

Continue reading Diamond Jubilee Celebrations…

Events

Details of courses, talks, walks and workshop sessions arranged by the Suffolk Record Office

  1. Courses
  2. Free Events at Lowestoft
  3. Free events at Bury
  4. Free events at Ipswich
  5. Hands on History Sessions
  6. Talks and Walks
  7. Explore Events further

FAQs

Continue reading FAQs…

Friends of the Suffolk Record Office

The Friends are people who use the Record Office, or who wish to help in its work of preserving Suffolk's incomparable archival heritage.

Continue reading Friends of the Suffolk Record Office…

Holiday Opening Hours

Details of the Suffolk Record Office opening hours during holidays

Continue reading Holiday Opening Hours…

How to use the Suffolk Record Office

Information about leaflets, online catalogues and other resources that will help you when using the Suffolk Record Office.

  1. Leaflets and Resource Lists
  2. Local studies collections
  3. Military Archives
  4. Online Catalogues
  5. Recent accessions
  6. Explore How to use the Suffolk Record Office further

Services

Services provided by Suffolk Record Office

  1. Copying Services
  2. Free Searchroom services
  3. Parish register copying service
  4. Research service
  5. Explore Services further

The Record

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad

Continue reading The Record…

Family history

Guidelines on how to trace your family history

Continue reading Family history…

Which branch do I need?

Guidance on which branch you need for your research

Continue reading Which branch do I need?…