We are pleased to announce that, during May and June 2018, we will be extending our Thursday opening hours. We will open until 21:00 every Thursday during that period.
Most of our public spaces will be open until 21:00, including our reading rooms, Keeper’s Gallery exhibition (opens 8 May), shop, library and coffee bar. Our visitors’ car park will also be open until 21:00.
Please read on for further information on the specific reading room services that will be available on these Thursday evenings. This is particularly important if you want to order and view original documents.
We will be open to the public every Thursday in May and June 2018 until 21:00. We are normally open until 19:00 on Thursdays.
We have no plans to extend opening hours on any other day in May and June 2018.
Following feedback on our opening hours, we have decided to stay open later on Thursdays in May and June 2018. Our aim is to establish the following:
There are currently no plans to extend the late opening hours beyond May and June 2018.
Many public areas will be open, this includes:
The reading room services currently available until 19:00 on Thursdays will be extended to 21:00.
If you have a current reader’s ticket, you will be able to view original documents ordered in advance up until 21:00. You can also order original documents up until 16:00. You will be able to use the terminals in the reading room for exploring records on Discovery and for accessing our digitised records.
Document ordering of original documents will not be extended. Last orders must still be placed by 16:00.
If you are new to The National Archives, you will need to register for a reader’s ticket before you can order and view any original documents.
You can pre-register for your reader’s ticket online. Once you have completed this online registration, you can place an advance order for original documents. On arrival at The National Archives, you should complete the final part of the registration process (verification of two forms of ID) in the reader registration area so that you can view the documents you have ordered.
Please note: If you have not pre-registered for your reader’s ticket, you will not be able to register in person on Thursday evenings. The standard closing time for registering as a reader closes at 16:00. Only those who have pre-registered will be able to complete the process after 16:00 on Thursdays.
Without a reader’s ticket, you will not be able to order and view original documents, however you can still use the terminals in the reading room for exploring records on Discovery (our online catalogue) and for accessing our digitised records.
Please direct any questions on our late night openings on Thursdays in May and June 2018 to our live chat service.
The post Late night opening – Thursdays in May and June 2018 appeared first on The National Archives.
Gallery-goers look at Foreign Office files
The National Archives is loaning documents and photographs for an exhibition which recreates the art works displayed at the first Brazilian modern art show in London in 1944.
During the Second World War, 168 Brazilian paintings crossed the Atlantic for an innovative exhibition. ‘Art of Diplomacy: Brazilian Modernism Painted for War’ now reunites 24 of these artworks for the first time since the original show, together with a selection of 14 archival documents and photographs on loan from The National Archives.
The items provide a unique insight into the build up to the launch of the art exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1944, as well as a photographic record of the exhibits and layout.
Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives, said: ‘The National Archives is always finding new ways for people to experience archival collections, and collaborating with others to open up our collections and our understanding of them. This exhibition reminds us how integral archives are to our cultural heritage and how they continue to inspire the imagination and stimulate the curious mind.’
Ann Chow, Records Specialist, Collection and Engagement Expertise department, commented: ‘This collaborative venture, which shows a selection of highlights extracted from Foreign Office files is an integral feature to the exhibition. These documents certainly add a different dimension and perspective when thinking more widely about the art history of exhibitions, and to what we would normally imagine about art in 1940s Britain.’
Lord Sherwood addresses the audience at the opening ceremony at the Royal Academy of Arts, November 1944
Highlights from the FO/371 file series include:
‘The Art of Diplomacy: Brazilian Modernism’ is free to visit and runs until 22 June at Sala Brasil Arts Centre, the gallery of the Embassy of Brazil.
Join us for a discussion about the exhibition with our records specialists and Dr Adrian Locke, Senior Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, on Wednesday 6 June:
Brazilian Modernism painted for war
The post The National Archives loans items for Brazilian art exhibition appeared first on The National Archives.
