The Cottonian Research Room

The research space is available for public use all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (10am-1pm and 1.30pm–4.30pm) and afternoons on Thursdays and Fridays (1.30pm–4.30pm) and selected Saturdays (1.30pm–4.30pm) throughout the year. Collections available for research, by appointment.

When the research space is not in use, visitors can view the historic Cottonian Collection which is on display here.

Whether you are tracing your family history, working on a school project or researching a PhD thesis, we can make our collections available to you by appointment. There is no charge for this service, however we welcome donations in support of our work.

How it works

To make an appointment, you first need to identify what you want to see using our online archives catalogue and collections catalogue and then register with us for an appointment. You can preorder up to 5 items per visit. We do allow extra documents to be ordered in person, at the discretion of staff on duty. Some items may not appear in the collections catalogue at present as they are awaiting publication clearance, please contact us (details below), if you have any queries.

While we do our best to make everything available, there are some items within the collection that are restricted for reasons of ethics, safety or fragility. Access to this restricted material, will require enhanced clearance from our curators or archivists. If your request includes restricted items we will be in contact to discuss your requirements.

You can purchase a daily, weekly or annual license in order to take photographs of our items for your own personal use. Just purchase the license you require from our online shop and bring your e-receipt with you to your appointment.

We look forward to welcoming you.