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Established in 1884 this is the largest collection of local and family history material in the North East. We also collect current local material and index articles from newspapers about local people, places and events. Everyone is welcome to visit us and look at any of the collection but, as many items are rare or irreplaceable most of the collection is not on public display. To see anything just make your selection from our catalogues or ask a member of staff.
Monday 8:30am - 8pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 8pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 8pm
Thursday 8:30am - 8pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5:30pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm
Phone: 0191 2774100
Email: information@newcastle.gov.uk
Address: City Library, Charles Avison Building, 33 New Bridge St. West, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8AX
With the building of the new City Library the opportunity arose to display some of the treasures which belong to the people of Newcastle, reflecting their proud cultural history. The new building has facilities for storing and displaying items from the special collections in environmentally controlled conditions and a two-year Heritage Lottery Funded project provided the means to conserve and promote some of this unique material.
The Newcastle Collection can be found on display on the sixth floor of the City Library in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Visit the Newcastle Collection website
Download the Newcastle Collection leaflet (PDF, 825KB)
From 14 November 2011 we will hold the General Register Office Indexes which include a full set of records on births, marriages, deaths, civil partnerships, adoptions and overseas events. This new facility will make family history research easier for customers based in the north of England. The indexes will be located on level 6 of City Library, one of seven sites across England and Wales to offer a full set of records. Find out what you can view in person.
Over 6,500 images comprising the Tyneside Life and Times Collection are online on Flickr. View images in categories such as shipping, monuments, armed forces and transport. Help us to identify unknown locations and people or simply add our images to your favourites.
The Local Studies photograph collection consists of 80,000 photographs, prints and postcards representing the social, recreational and working lives of the region from the birth of photography in the 1850’s, to the present day. You can view the collection at City Library.
The collection at West End Library contains over 17,000 photographs and documents relating to the history and heritage of West Newcastle from the 19th century to the present day. The bulk of the collection relates to Scotswood, Benwell, Elswick, Fenham and Arthur’s Hill but also includes items relating to Denton, Lemington, Newburn, Throckley and Westerhope.
Copies of images from the collection are available to purchase as photocopies or as print outs.
For further information or specific requests contact:
Mr Millican
West Newcastle Picture History Collection
West End Library
Condercum Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 9JH
Telephone: 0191 274 7913
Email: wnls@btinternet.com
Please note that the collection is open to visitors on Mondays between 9am – 12noon and 2pm – 4pm and Thursdays between 2pm – 4pm, other times by arrangement with library staff.
We now have an annual subscription to the Gale/Cengage database of 19th Century Newspapers. There is access to it via every public computer across the libraries. There is also a facility for remote access at home if you have a Newcastle library card. The database includes three northern titles; The Newcastle Courant (Daily and Weekly), The Northern Liberator and the Northern Echo. It also includes a wide range of regional and some national titles, for example, The Illustrated Police News. If you are interested in family history or general historical research we think you will find this database useful and easy to use.
Ancestry Library Edition is a research tool offering the most comprehensive genealogical information available online. It has more than 4 billion names in over 4000 collections. Access to historical records such as Census Returns, Birth Marriage and Death Indexes, Passenger Lists, Military Records and much more. There are no passwords to remember and shortcuts can be found on the desktop of computers in any Newcastle library.
Newcastle Libraries now provide free access to the Find My Past website on computers in every branch library. The site provides access to the recently released 1911 census as well as a range of other historical databases that will be of interest to family history researchers. View the databases available in Find My Past.
We now have access to the Library Edition of Ancestry through our People's Network computers at every library.
Newcastle Libraries heritage centre holds a large amount of unique and valuable material relating to the North East of England. If you are unable to visit us, we are happy to provide you with certain information on the range and dates of records that we hold. This information is free of charge.
Our research service
Our staff are able to consult a wide range of printed sources, microfilm, microfiche and original records on your behalf. We welcome enquiries on a range of subjects, including family history. If you require more extensive family history or general local research; a list of local researchers is available on our website. We will produce a written or printed record of the information you require. Where applicable we may also provide advice on what to do next.
How much does it cost?
The research service costs £30 per hour - up to a maximum of two hours. We will try to give you an accurate estimate of the amount of time needed to undertake your research. You can set a time limit on the research by telling us that you only wish us to undertake one hours work. Payment for research is required in advance.
If your reply requires photocopies the first five copies will be included in the fee. Any further copies will be charged at 20p per copy. This amount will be collected after the enquiry is completed.
How do I apply?
You can make your advance payment by cheque or by credit/debit card. To apply by post download and print an order form and include this with your payment. Download a research application form (PDF, 200KB). To apply by phone and pay via credit/debit card phone 0191 277 4100.
What happens if you don’t find what I want?
Although every effort will be made to find the information for you, the charge will still be implemented if we are not able to do this. This is because our staff will still have spent the required time searching for the information.
Page last updated: 16 January, 2013
