Visit Us

Coming to the Office

Our address is:

Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service
Riverside Building
Borough Hall
Cauldwell Street
Bedford
Bedfordshire
MK42 9AP

Tel: (01234) 228833

Email: archive@bedford.gov.uk

**5th January 2021 Update**

Archives Service closed until further notice

Following the government announcement that England is now in a national lockdown the Archives Services is closed to the public until further notice. 

In the meantime our website and online catalogue contain a wealth of information about our collections. We will do our best to answer online enquiries but without access to our collections we cannot guarantee that a full response will be possible at this time.

We will update our social media and our website as soon as we have any further information but should you need to contact us please fill out our enquiry form.

*****

Opening hours (by appointment only) - please contact us to book an appointment 

Monday 9.15 am to 5pm (5-7pm strictly by appointment only)
Tuesday and Wednesday 9 am to 5 pm
Thursday: Closed
Friday 9 am to 5 pm

We are closed on Bank Holidays.

Please see our Code of Conduct for searchroom visitors.

Please note our document ordering times are from 9am (or 9.15am on Mondays) to 12.45pm, recommencing at 2pm until 4.30pm.  We aim to retrieve documents within five minutes.  Four documents are permitted per order.

Borough Hall Location Map

You can view the  Borough Hall Location Map (PDF document opens in new window).  Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files and a free version can be downloaded from the Adobe website (external link).

How do I get to you from the railway and bus stations?

The railway & bus stations are about a 10 - 15 minute walk away from our building (see map above). The main railway station, served by First Capital Connect,  Midland Mainline and Silverlink services, has a taxi rank.

Can I park my car at Borough Hall?

We only have spaces for disabled visitors - see below.

There are about a dozen visitor spaces at the front of Borough Hall. These spaces are time-limited and are only available for short stay visitors for up to 30 minutes duration.

We urge all other visitors to our Service to familiarise themselves with thepublic car parks before they make a journey.  There is a pay and display car park on Prebend Street, on the opposite side of the road to our building and we also recommend Melbourne Street pay-and-display car park for long stay parking.

Visitors can use the Park & Ride Scheme, which includes a bus stop outside Borough Hall.

Separate arrangements will be made for deliveries - please contact us for details.

Any queries or comments relating to car parking can be sent to us via our form.

What do I do after I park my car or if I come on foot?

Come to the Riverside Building. The main entrance is on the first floor, which is reached by a footbridge/walkway from Prebend Street and connects to the car park by steep ramps and steps. Follow the signing for 'Archives Service'. See the map (above) for details.

Monday evening access 5 - 7pm

Appointments between 5 and 7pm on a Monday are strictly by appointment only.  You must have booked your appointment by 4pm on the previous Friday and received confirmation from our staff by 5pm on the previous Friday. 

For security reasons, the glass entrance doors to the Riverside Building are locked at 5.30pm. Access to the office after 5.30pm is via the intercom just to the left of the glass entrance doors.  Press the button labelled 'Archives' and it will connect you to one of our staff, who can let you in.

You may wish to bring a mobile phone with you to telephone us on (01234) 228530 if you have any problems accessing our building.