We hope you will understand how important it is for all our dedicated staff to have this time together once a year to reflect, learn, and plan for the future.

Library staff gathered; sign announces libraries and archives closed Friday 17 April for annual staff conference.

TODAY Friday 17 April all Explore libraries, cafes and archives sites will be closed all day. We are sorry if you were planning to visit us and are disappointed.

All sites will resume usual opening hours from Saturday 18 April.

Something new is coming! 🎉From Wednesday 15 April, we’ll be moving to a new archive catalogue.

Red-brick library with tall columns beside ancient stone ruins, a row of parked bicycles and a clear blue sky.

Grand library entrance with three arched wooden doors, central doors open to bookshelves and a circular skylight above.

Orange tulips in sun under a tree, with an old stone wall, iron fence and red-brick building beyond.

Today's #Archive30 is #ArchiveBuildings so we are sharing our lovely library building. 

The building was designed by Walter Brierley and opened in 1927 and had an extensions added in 1934 and then in 1938. It has been home to the archive collections since 2015. 

#archives #york

Archives - Explore York Explore York Archives offers insights into the city's rich history, featuring collections, resources, and learning opportunities. Visit us for access to unique local history materials and support options.

We also look after thousands of books, historic newspapers and maps about the city and surrounding area.

You can find out more about the collections we hold, our opening hours and how to visit us on our website :

The civic archive contains the records of City of York Council and its predecessors, whilst our community collections include personal and family papers as well as the records of York-based charities, businesses and community groups

The remainder is raised through its trading subsidiary, grants, donations and other fundraising

Our collections contain thousands of unique documents, plans and photographs that tell the story of over 850 years of York’s history. Our oldest document dates from 1155, the most recent from this year.

We are an independent Industrial and Provident Mutual operating under a fixed-term, fixed-sum contract with City of York Council, currently in place until March 2034.

Explore receives two thirds of its income from its contract with City of York Council.

Hand pointing to text on an ornate historic manuscript stored in archival flat drawers.

Old blue and black bound municipal and parliamentary registers on a shelf behind a metal grid, labeled with early 1900s dates.

Today we start #Archive30 and the first theme is #YourArchive so we are going to talk a bit about ourselves and our collections. 

Explore York Archives is responsible for acquiring, preserving and promoting the Archive and Local History collections relating to the City of York council area.

History Misbehaves: Spokes History is about to misbehave · Episode

You can now listen to the full audio drama on all major streaming platforms.

https://f.mtr.cool/ckyfkblkqg

#archives #cycling #sporthertage #letscreate

Back on a sunny morning in January our participants came to @jorvikradio.bsky.social  at Tang Hall Explore Library to record their stories and poems, inspired by the Clifton Cycling Club archives found in our collections 🚲

Take a peek at some behind the scenes footage of the recording process.

A reminder to tune in tonight to hear this amazing archive inspired audio drama.

#archives #exploreyourarchive #sportheritage #cycling

Libraries - Explore York Libraries and Cafes Opening Hours You will find all opening hours on the individual library and reading cafe pages of […]

For Explore Libraries and Cafe opening hours over the Easter period please check our website

With the Easter fast approaching here is a reminder of our opening hours.

Good Friday 3 April:  Closed.

Saturday 4 April: Archives reading room open as normal.

Easter Day: Closed.

Easter Monday 6 April: Archives and reading room closed.

Tuesday 7 April: Open as normal.

#archives #Easter

History Misbehaves: Spokes is a playful new audio piece created with Clifton residents and inspired by the 1895 Clifton Cycling Club archive. Blending poetry, memories, and community spirit, it brings local history to life in fresh, joyful ways. 🚲

#ExploreTogether #LetsCreate #SportHeritage

Audio drama 'History Misbehaves: Spokes' poster — vintage pair on a bicycle; tune Jorvik Radio 94.8FM Sun 29 Mar 10pm.

Tune in to @jorvikradio.bsky.social  94.8FM next Sunday to hear History Misbehaves: Spokes and an exclusive interview with playwright Paul Birch and director Kate Valentine 

🗓️ Sun 29th March
⏰ 10.00pm

@ridinglights.bsky.social  @artscouncilengland.bsky.social & Digitial Drama. 

 #Poetry #Archives

Two banners: City of York & District Family History Society (map, meeting info) and an 'Explore Family History' banner.

The @yorkfhs.bsky.social  are here!

Every Monday from 10am-4pm at York Explore you can come along to the Family History Room where you will be able to receive free expert advice from members of the York Family History Society .

Sessions are drop in – no need to book!

#familyhistory #localhistory

These women are telephonists working in the early 20th C. ☎️

They are thought to be Miss Quinn and Miss Topman. York's first telephone exchange was housed over a chemist's shop in Parliament Street and was opened in 1886 by the National Telephone Company.

#archives #york #exploreyourarchive

Next week the reading room will be closed as part of our Setting the Record Straight project.

To find out more about setting the record straight and upcoming closure dates take a look at the dedicated page on our website below.

exploreyork.org.uk/archives/setting-the-rec...

Our wonderful volunteers are working to clean and repackage the records in these collections to help preserve the records and make them ready for cataloguing. As part of this process this document will be losing its belt, be cleaned with a smoke sponge and packaged in acid-free archival folders.

However, it does also highlight the amount of dirt these records have collected over the years, as the belt has kept a clean band on the front cover. This document is part of our collections of records relating to the Ouse, Foss, and Ouse and Foss Navigation Companies.

Worn bundle of early 1905 correspondence with brown paper cover and green fabric strap, handwritten title 'Correspondence'.

Green fabric strap with rusty metal clasp across an aged handwritten page labeled Correspondence.

Worn brown paper folder labeled correspondence from the Humber Conservancy Commission, dated January–May 1905. There is a clean line around the document under where the strap had been placed.

Worn, water-stained rear page with faded teal horizontal stripe from the strap of the document, with a torn corner resting on a wooden table.

We found this document during our most recent volunteering session with a belt that it is looking a bit worse for wear. 

Unfortunately, over the last 100 years the belt has begun to imprint upon the document, leaving behind a green impression on the front and back covers of this record from 1905.

In 2001 the Holgate Windmill Preservation Society was formed, the group were able to raise funds to restore the windmill to and begin producing flour once again. 

#york #windmill #archives

t is the last remaining windmill in York, although historically the city had been surrounded by them. The mill was acquired by the York corporation in 1939 and there were several unsuccessful attempts to restore the mill to working order.

Black-and-white scene of a windmill with sails beside stone farm buildings, bare trees and a fallow field.

Tall conical brick windmill with large sails beside a two-story cottage and trees, vintage black-and-white photo.

Holgate Windmill c.1910-1930's 

The mill dates from c.1792 and was in production until the early 1930s. It closed due to its unsafe condition after storm damage. The mill was built using local handmade bricks and is unusual because it has five sails, a fantail, and it is double shuttered.

I

A handwritten page in a notebook. It begins 'Friday May 29th 1840. Journey to London.' It then lists each stop on the journey and how many miles there was in between.

A double page from the same notebook continuing the details of the journey.

A modern document, showing a table which summarises the journey, giving place names and distances in miles.

Our #ArchiveOfTheWeek, this fascinating notebook, shows that if you were travelling from Chesterfield to London in 1840 you would have changed coach 17 times and have needed 65 horses in total! The 158 mile journey would have taken 7 hours and 45 minutes.
#EYAConnections

Jobs - Explore York Join Explore Libraries and Archives – Your community hub for learning, leisure, and connection. Exciting events, cosy cafes, and endless opportunities await! Discover more now.

🚨There is still time to apply🚨

We are recruiting an Archivist (Physical Collections) – Maternity Cover, to join our archive team here at Explore York Libraries and Archvies.

Closing date is 5pm, Friday, 27th February.

Find out more about the role and apply here:

We are delighted to have the Family History Society onsite with us here on Mondays!

A brilliant resource for help beginning or continuing your family history research all for free and with no need to book!

#york #familyhistory

It is the first step in preserving the records and making them available to users and researchers in our reading room in the future.

Library study room with wooden tables set up with gray paper-lined archival trays and conservation tools; bookshelves behind.

Setting up for our first full day of volunteer sessions of 2026!

Our wonderful volunteers will be cleaning and packaging one of our uncatalogued collections, in preparation for cataloguing the collection.🧹📦

#archives #volunteers #exploreyourarchive