Moving Archives - Past and Present

14 Jul 2011

With the current move of the NMM archive and library collections to the new Sammy Ofer Wing complex, here are a few historical tales of how Admiralty records were stored and moved from one building to another in the 19th century.
 
Early in the 1840s, Sir John Barrow, Secretary to the Admiralty and Keeper of the Records, made a monumental discovery. He had found a series of Admiralty records,
with records from the reign of James II onwards. They had been found in the:

'very highest and extensive garrets of the Admiralty building (Whitehall), some in half-bound volumes, others in bundles, rolls, and loose papers, piled up in whole streets or lanes of shelves or pigeonholes, stuffed in without arrangement or any kind of order; the ground-floors of these lanes also strewed with documents of various descriptions.' ¹

Even when records were transferred the conditions were described by the Master of the Rolls as:

'old dark, ill-ventilated, rickety, and unprotected from fire from intervening dwelling- houses; and as they are never warmed, they are damp, and prejudicial both to the records themselves, and to the health of the officers who have occasion to search therein. There were built as private dwelling houses about the beginning of the last century, and have to be strengthened for their present uses by shorings, at great expense to the office of works. The roofs continually let in wet, and are perpetually under repair.' ²

A major transfer of the Admiralty records took place between 24 April and 21 September 1846, supervised by both officers from the Admiralty and the Deputy Keeper, being a joint effort. Admiralty barges were used to move the documents by water from Deptford Dockyard to the Tower Record Office at Tower Hill, the other side of the Thames. This was perhaps not the most reliable mode of transport, but, seemingly the quickest and easiest means of conveyance. The records were tied up in bundles, weighing around 60 to 70 pounds, containing 6 to 8 volumes at a time. The loose papers were in sacks and boxes. Upon arrival, these were placed in a covered shed on a wharf as part of the Ordnance Department. Then the records were carted to the White Tower and put into baskets and raised via a crane 50 feet from the ground into the Council Chamber. The staff at the Tower Record Office worked overtime to ensure the work was finished as scheduled. Alongside this work, the staff arranged and catalogued the material and placed the items in presses.
 
The archive move preparations from the Museum's out-stores to the new Sammy Ofer Wing have involved several crucial record enhancement projects that will greatly benefit future retrievals in the Sammy Ofer Wing. The physical extent of records in the store has been accurately captured to reflect what can be ordered in the reading room and will also streamline the retrieval process. This means that readers can locate specific records which were otherwise hidden within a more generic series hierarchy. The records will be stored according to differing sizes in the new stores, which will greatly benefit their long term preservation; many of the records have had conservation treatment and rehousing as part of preparations for the move into the Sammy Ofer Wing.

The last two years' work has been an exciting and crucial period of enhancement. The re-working of catalogue entries has been necessary to fit in line with a holistic, professional system of arrangement.

Mike (Assistant Archivist)

<sup>1 Barrow, J. An Auto-Biographical Memoir of Sir John Barrow, Bart., Late of the Admiralty;
including reflections, observations and Reminiscences at home and abroad, from early life to advanced
Age, London: John Murray, 1847. p.465.

2 Bonner-Smith, D. 'The Admiralty Building' Mariners Mirror, 9 (no. 9) 271-282. p.280-1.</sup>