Suffolk Archives have recently confirmed that the Record Offices in Bury St Edmunds (Raingate Street) and Lowestoft (Clapham Road South) will close at the end of August 2024. Most of the records and local studies material held at these sites will be transferred to The Hold in Ipswich.
They have also announced that, to facilitate this transferal, The Hold will close to the public for three months from the beginning of October 2024 until early January 2025. There will be no access to either the search room or the John Blatchly Local Studies Library at The HOLD during this period. This decision, compounding the impact of the permanent closures at Bury and Lowestoft, will clearly have consequences for all those who rely on the archives for study and research purposes (including the editors of our volumes in progress).
In common with other stakeholders, the Suffolk Record Society views these developments with some concern.
We await meaningful consultation on the future of Suffolk Archives.