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IDENTITY
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Name
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Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives
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Identifier
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BAA
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CONTACT
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Address
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Cathedral House, St Chads
Queensway, Birmingham, B4 6EU
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Telephone
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0121 230 6252
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Fax
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Email
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archives@rcaob.org.uk
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Website
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http://www.birminghamarchdiocesanarchives.org.uk
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Head of repository
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Naomi Johnson, Diocesan
Archivist
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DESCRIPTION
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Institutional context
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The Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives acts as the repository for the departments and central services of
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham. It holds the historic papers
relating to the Midland and Central District’s, the Diocese and Archdiocese
of Birmingham and material relating to the parishes of the Archdiocese.
There are also a small number
of records relating to schools, convents, religious houses and social care
institutes.
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Institutional history
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The Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives (BAA), began in fledgling form in the 1950’s with the support of
Archbishop Maurice Couve de Murville and under the care of Fr John Denis
McEvilly [Archivist c.1950 – 1981] who was widely recognised as an authority
on post-reformation Catholic history and who was, from its beginning, until his
death, Editor of the Worcestershire Recusant.
The archive continued to grow
under Fr Peter Dennison [Archivist 1981 -1993], Fr Petroc Howell [Archivist
1993 – 1997] and was transformed to the archive most historians and academics
know today under the leadership of Fr John Sharp [Archivist 1997-2017].
In 2018, the decision was taken
to appoint a lay archivist for the first time.
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Administrative structure
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Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives are the private repository and department of the Archdiocese. It is
funded entirely by the archdiocese.
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Collecting policy
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The full collecting policy of the
Birmingham Archdiocesan Archives is available upon request
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Buildings
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Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives is housed in the cathedral house of St Chad’s Cathedral. It contains
a combined reading room and office, storeroom and domestic facilities. There
is no disabled access currently available.
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Archival and other holdings
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It holds the episcopal and
administrative records of the Midland District (1688-1840), the Central
District (1840-1850), the Diocese of Birmingham (1850-1911), and the
Archdiocese of Birmingham (1911–present). It is also the repository for all
the parishes in the Archdiocese, which comprises the ancient counties of
Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Oxfordshire.
It also holds the archives of
the educational facilities and institutions of the archdiocese, including St
Mary’s College, Sedgley Park College, Cotton College and Besford Court
School.
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Finding aids and publications
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Finding aids to the archives
are available online http://www.birminghamarchdiocesanarchives.org.uk/collections.asp
Please contact us if you would
like further information about these collections.
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ACCESS
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Opening times
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The archive is open to
researchers by appointment only on Thursday’s and Friday’s between
8:00-16:00. The archive is closed over the Christmas and New Year period.
Other religious holidays may be observed. Please check before planning a
visit.
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Conditions and requirements
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All readers are required to
book before visiting and to complete a registration form before or on their
first visit to the archive.
In some circumstances, we may
ask for a letter of introduction but we will let you know if this is
necessary when an appointment is made. Failure to provide appropriate
identification or to abide by the reading room rules may result in access to
the archive being denied.
Access to archives less than 30
years old or containing personal information is restricted.
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Disabled access
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There is no disabled access
available to the archive. Access to the reading room is via 2 flights of
stairs.
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Transport
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The Birmingham Archdiocesan
Archives are held in the lower levels of St Chad’s Cathedral. To access them
you need to make your way to the Cathedral. There is very limited parking in
the Cathedral carpark on Shadwell Street and you may not be granted access if
there is a large function going on in the Cathedral itself.
We recommend parking in the NCP
carpark on Weaman Street which is across the road from the Cathedral, or
locating street parking in the nearby side roads. Please note, there are time
restrictions for on street parking and the bays directly outside the Cathedral
are pick-up/drop off only.
If you are coming by train, the
nearest station is Snow Hill. Turn left out of the main entrance and down the
steps you should see in front of you. Cross over the tram lines and follow
the footpath around the buildings, following the main road (Snow Hill
Queensway). You should see the Cathedral from the top of Snow Hill Queensway.
You can cross at the top or the bottom of this road and the Royal Angus Hotel
will be on your right hand side. Cross over the road to the Cathedral and
walk down until you reach the railing where the steps to the archive are
located.
If you are arriving into New
Street Station, you need to exit the doors on the left side of the station
(nearest stores are Body Shop and Gregs – if you see Birmingham Bullring in
front of you, you have used the wrong doors) which will bring you out onto
Corporation Street. Walk straight up Corporation Street until you see the
large House of Fraser store in front of you on the left hand side, turn up
the side road (Cherry Street) until you reach the top – Cathedral Square (St
Philips place). Walk straight across the square until you reach Colmore Row
and turn right. Walk down the road until you see the pedestrian crossing in
front of Snow Hill Station.
Follow directions as above.
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SERVICES
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Research services
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We do not provide a paid
research service. Entries in Sacramental registers will be looked up free of
charge for people requesting copies of their own sacramental events.
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Reproduction services
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The archive can offer a remote
copying service, subject to conditions and copyright status of the requested
item(s) and providing that you have the exact reference to the item(s)
concerned. Fees for this service begin at £5 and increase based on quantity
of material requested and whether physical or digital copies are requested.
All fees will be agreed in advance.
The use of digital camera and
smartphones to capture images is permissible. A daily charge of £5 is
applicable. Researchers who are undertaking extended research in the archive
are eligible for our monthly (£13) and quarterly pass schemes (£20). A
photography self-service form must be completed to demonstrate researchers
agreeing to the terms of use of images.
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Public facilities
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Tea and coffee making
facilities are available at the archives. The archives are also very close to
the public amenities of Birmingham City Centre, which has a number of cafes
and restaurants within walking distance.
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CONTROL
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Date of creation
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15.10.2021
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