This week I’ve spent a day researching at the William Salt Library in Stafford.
Isn’t it wonderful? The building is a classic Georgian town house, built in 1735.
The reading room is equally stunning: a bibliophile’s dream, packed full of old books. I worked my way though a series of Trade Directories that I hadn’t seen before – the oldest was from 1769 – before settling down with a beautiful leather-bound copy of the Official Catalogue of the Wolverhampton Exhibition of 1884.
I want to live in this room:
The Library is an independent archive, run in conjunction with Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service. It is open to the public and holds a large collection of printed material relating to Staffordshire which is a major source for local and family history in Staffordshire.
Information on the Library’s holdings can be found here: www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/DServe/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive2&dsqCmd=Index.tcl
Current opening hours and further information can be found here:
www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/williamsalt/ContactDetails/home.aspx
The William Salt Library is in the centre of Stafford: if you visit, then do bear in mind that Staffordshire Records Office is just at the rear of the Library, at the back of the courtyard.
The Record Office’s webiste is here:
www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/archives/homepage.aspx
The link for the Record Office catalogue is the same as that for the William Salt Library:
www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/DServe/DServe.exe?dsqApp=Archive2&dsqCmd=Index.tcl
However, if you plan to spend a day moving from one building to the other and back, as your research reveals new leads, please bear in mind that the Records Office operates an ‘appointments only’ policy, and that the William Salt Library is, at the time of writing, only open Tuesday-Thursday each week. A little careful planning may be required…
CARN cards: please also note that neither Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service nor the William Salt Library operate the CARN card system. You will therefore need to produce two pieces of identification to register for their own card. One of these documents can, however, be a CARN card.
