Our records come in all different shapes and sizes, but we love them all the same. We know there’s a story in every box that’s just waiting to be told. It doesn’t matter if they’re 1,000 years old or 20 years old, each offers a glimpse into the past.
Stories Unboxed is a new display that takes a single document and explores its story. Let our specialists highlight topical finds and lesser-known treasures whilst you immerse yourself in moments of the past.
See it for yourself:
- In person on the first floor of our building in Kew during opening hours
- With a ten-minute talk from one of our collection specialists on the second Tuesday of every month, 12 noon, on the first floor
- Online, through a variety of articles right here on this page.
Currently on display
Find out more about our current Stories Unboxed:
What links Dracula and Tess of the d’Urbervilles?
The answer is hidden in our collection of copyright registration forms.
Past displays
Read more about previous Stories Unboxed, and the work we’ve done to make these displays possible:
April 2023
The Hairy Wardrobe Book
Account book of Robert de Wodehouse, deputy keeper of the king’s wardrobe, 1315-1316
This detailed account of life at court in the reign of King Edward II is one of the wonders of The National Archives.
It is a beautiful, fascinating object and contains important details, all neatly laid out, about what King Edward spent at court on charity and religion, dress, food, jewels and officials’ wages.
The King’s New Clothes
Excerpt from an account book of the Auditors of the Imprest, about 1661
Charles II waited a year after returning from exile for his Coronation at Westminster on 23 April 1661. As this account reveals, he dressed in expensive robes.
Charles wore a newly-made crown and carried new regalia, Parliament having destroyed the ancient symbols of monarchy.
‘Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the hairiest of them all?’
Discover what we’ve learned about the materiality of the Hairy Wardrobe Book.
March 2023
A little light reading
How did our Collection Care team investigate the best place to locate our new initiative, Stories Unboxed?