Our Services
- Research and Recording
- Enquiry Services
- Consultations
- Community
- Donate Records
- Uplands Archaeology Initiative
Group Visits
The Royal Commission welcomes organised visits from groups of all kinds:
Local historians, groups and societies can find out, from old maps and photographs, what their village or town looked like in the past. An antiquarian’s notebook may have a sketch of a feature long since lost. A reconstruction drawing may throw light on the appearance of an old house before an extension was added or it was renovated.
Family history groups can visit to discover how our collections can help illustrate their family trees with information and pictures of their ancestors’ houses, places of worship and work, or simply villages and towns where their families lived.
Students of all levels, from school children to university students, to lifelong learners and postgraduate researchers, use the National Monuments Record of Wales for their studies. We can arrange for small groups to visit to sample the wealth of information that would give added value to their research.
Teachers from all over Wales have been given the opportunity to select teaching materials from the National Monuments Record to enrich the National Curriculum. We have hosted groups of teachers on in-service training courses who have received presentations on Coflein and our services and then been given the opportunity to research materials appropriate to their needs.
Special interest groups: for example, the Charles Close Society for the study of Ordnance Survey maps visited to view our unique collection of historic maps.
Professional bodies: for example, the South Wales branch of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors visited us for a presentation and lecture from one of our architectural investigators.
Continuing professional development (CPD) groups, such as fellow archivists and librarians from the National Library of Wales, National Assembly for Wales agencies, universities, local record offices and libraries, visit us to exchange ideas about working practices and initiatives.
Research bodies: for example the Royal Historical Society visited us for a presentation and reception when their meeting was held at the University of Wales Aberystwyth.
When you visit us we will arrange a presentation of our work and display a selection of archive material relevant to your area of interest. We can also arrange, if appropriate, demonstrations of the most up-to-date surveying techniques for fellow professionals, amateur archaeologists, building historians, students etc. Specialist workshops can also be considered. On occasion, members of our staff can also visit your group to give an illustrated talk or lecture.
We sometimes hold Open Days at the Royal Commission, when members of staff are available to talk to members of the public, who are also given the opportunity to see archiveitems from the National Monuments Record of Wales. On a national Archives Awareness Day visitors were able to visit our archive stores for a taste of the wealth of material we hold behind the scenes.
If you would like to bring a group to visit the National Monuments Record of Wales please contact Library and Enquiries Service. Please give as much notice as possible and be aware that we are unable to accommodate more than about twenty-five people for a general visit and fewer if members wish to use archive material. Our Library and Search Room in Aberystwyth is located on the ground floor and there are lifts to ensure full access for all visitors.