Archive Services and Price List

Search services

If you can’t find what you are looking for online, searches for holdings on a single building, for aerial cover, or for archaeological information for a small area of interest are usually free of charge. We aim to tell you what we hold within 15 working days* (3 weeks) of receipt. This may take longer if demand is high.

If your search is large or complex, we may still be able to help, but we will need to charge for our time. We’ll tell you if a Research Fee applies and ask for your agreement before proceeding. To be fair to other Archive users, we may refuse complex or voluminous requests.

If you need results quickly, we offer 2 priority search services. A separate fee applies to each collection included in the search (aerial photographs/archaeology/buildings):

• Priority Plus Search: A list of search results for enquiries received before 10am on a working day* despatched by 5pm the same day
• Priority Search: A list of search results for enquiries received before 10am on a working day* despatched by 5pm the next working day

* Working days are Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays and a closure period over Christmas and New Year (advertised on our website).

Contents Summary Service

If you find something of interest in our online catalogue but can’t visit, we can look at an archive folder or volume, such as a buildings file, on your behalf for a small fee.

We’ll retrieve the folder/volume from our environmentally controlled store and send you a summary of contents so you can decide whether you’d like to visit or order copies.

Each request will be limited to a maximum of 30 minutes.

Copies

All copying is subject to the copyright status and physical condition of the original.

If you intend to use copies for any purpose other than personal reference, you must contact us for permission to do so.

Reference copies

Digital images, where we have them, can be found on our online catalogue and Aerial Photograph Explorer.

If you can’t see an image online, we can usually make a reference copy if we hold a paper copy of the original. We cannot provide reference copies of items larger than A3 in size (for example, large plans and drawings); for these items, please see Digital copies.

Copies are emailed in PDF format and are watermarked.

Digital copies

Digital copies are generally suitable for publication-quality printing up to A3 @300dpi (dependent on the format and quality of the original).

Images (photos, plans or drawings) that you can see online can usually be supplied as a digital copy from an existing file.

Where we don’t have a digital image, our specialist team can digitise a copy of the original item.

To order an image, email [email protected] with the reference number.

We will contact you by email to confirm your request and the cost before processing your order.

Reports

Original formats vary and may include large plans. We will give you a quote for copying a specific report.

Reproduction permission

Most of the material we hold in the Historic England Archive is available for re-use on request. Where we are not the copyright holder, we may still have the authority to license re-use.

We license the re-use of Crown copyright material on behalf of the Keeper of Public Records under a Delegation of Authority.

If you would like to request permission to use an item from the Historic England Archive in a report, publication, or web page, please download a Request for Reproduction Permission Form. This form asks for details about your proposed use and the items you wish to use. Submitting the form does not commit you to proceeding with the permission.

When we receive a completed form, we will first check whether we can issue permission for the item(s) requested to be re-used. If we believe that someone else manages the rights, we’ll tell you so that you can approach them for permission.

We aim to respond to your request within 20 working days.

If you have listed a large number of items, we may need to charge for our time to check rights, but we will tell you the cost and ask for your agreement before doing this.

As an archive, we are permitted by the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 to charge reproduction fees. Our fees are based on the use requested.

If we can issue permission, we will look at how you wish to use the item(s) and tell you if there would be a reproduction fee for that use. Any quote for a fee will be in writing and valid for 4 weeks.

If you confirm that you would like to go ahead, we will issue a permission letter for you to sign with the specific details of your requested use of the information on page 1 and our terms and conditions on page 2.

Delivery

Digital images are delivered as an email attachment or via a web download link.

We aim to deliver digital copies of digital files within 2 weeks and any other copies within 3 weeks, but delivery may take longer if demand is high.

Our express order service can be used for digital copies with a maximum of 6 items per order:

• Orders must be received by us before 10am and will be despatched in 5 working days*
• Express orders will be charged at double the standard charge

*Working days are Monday to Friday excluding Public Holidays and our closure period over the Christmas and New Year break (advertised on our website).

Prices (valid until 30 June 2025)

Reproduction fees (valid until 30 June 2025)

The fees listed here represent those uses most commonly requested. We can provide specific quotes for a whole range of uses and some uses are free of charge. If your use isn’t listed, for instance if your print run is higher than 25,000, or you wish to use an image on a postcard or in an app, we can still provide a quote, so please contact us.

Reproduction fees are additional to the cost to supply the image.

Payment

Payment for services in the Public Search Room is by credit/debit card only.

For all other services, we will send an invoice to be paid by credit/debit card, BACS or cheque. Information on how to pay is included on the invoice. We may request payment in advance in some circumstances.

If you are purchasing from outside the UK, please contact us before ordering.