About Us

Last year over 10 000 people used our public Search Room to study many different aspects of County Durham's history.



Many visitors come to research their County Durham ancestry but others seek information on a wide variety of topics as diverse as the lives of local dignitaries, coal mining in the County or the history of education.

Documents deposited in the Record Office are available for study, free of charge, to the general public. These documents may be consulted only under supervision in the public Search Room.

The Search Room contains the catalogues and indexes needed to identify the records held in the Record Office. You can also search these catalogues in the Database, now available on this website.

The Search Room also has a small library of local history and basic reference works.

Our most popular documents (including parish registers and the census) are available only on microfilm. There is a self-service system in operation which allows you to make full use of all the microfilm material.

Visitors must make an appointment to visit the Record Office. The number of places available is limited (there are nineteen microfilm readers and fifteen table spaces for visitors using original documents). An appointment ensures that a space will be available. At present it is advisable to make an appointment at least two weeks in advance.

Photocopies of documents held in the Record Office can be supplied subject to the condition of the original, any restriction imposed by their owners and the rules regarding copyright. Photocopies of original documents are made by a member of staff. There is a self-service microfilm reader-printer for copying from microfilm or microfiche.


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