Birmingham City Archives
Birmingham City Archives holds all archives for the City of Birmingham, as well as the former Municipal Borough of Sutton Coldfield.
| Authority | Birmingham City Council |
| Location | 7th Floor, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham. See map |
| Membership/ID | CARN ticket |
| Photocopy policy | Not known |
| Camera policy | Permissive, form to be completed |
What is held here
The Archives is the main resource for the City Council's archives and documents. However, indexing is patchy at best and many documents from the last 50 years have not made their way here yet.
How to use it
The Archives are located in the top floor of Birmingham's Central Library - though access is only available via a small circular staircase, and the archives do not keep the same hours as the main library.
You will be asked to sign in a visitor's book, and you will need a CARN ticket. Bags and coats must be placed in a locker.
Most items can be ordered via the main desk. There are some card index files available for use though it appears to be better to simply ask staff.
Items are requested by completing small slips of paper with item number, title, and your name and address.
Birmingham City Council is the lead authority for the West Midlands County Council Archives, and they are theoretically available from here. Beware that the WMMCC Archives are completely unindexed, and that they are stored by Wolverhampton City Council, meaning that retrieval is almost impossible.
Items found here
- Draft copy of Abercrombie's West Midlands Plan, which includes some roads aspects including early motorway plans for the region.
