Our research projects blog

Most recent posts

• Archive Rambler: from Westward Ho! to Bideford

  

  New

  Published

  12 January 2026

  Giorgia Tolfo continues her trip along the South West Coast Path, exploring the rewards of combining archival research and walking.

• Archive Rambler: from Hartland to Clovelly

  

  New

  Published

  12 January 2026

  How can archival research deepen the experience of hiking, and vice versa? Giorgia Tolfo finds out on a trip down the South West Coast Path.

• Developing an enhanced dataset for the history of photography

  

  Published

  2 October 2025

  Researchers Giorgia Tolfo and Katherine Howells reflect on their recent project focusing on the metadata in our photographic copyright collections.

• Prototyping semantic search for case law

  

  Published

  28 July 2025

  PhD student Caitlin Wilson showcases the latest results from her research into an accessible search function for The National Archives' Find Case Law service.

• Reflections on History and Practice 2025: Working with Memory

  

  Published

  28 April 2025

  We look back at this year's History and Archives in Practice event, held on Wednesday 5 March at Senate House, London.

• The pannotype mystery: cracking the code of a forgotten photographic process

  

  Published

  31 March 2025

  We delve into the fascinating research recently undertaken into a number of Victorian records in our collection featuring rare examples of early photography.

• The history of ‘indecent advertisements’ in public toilets

  

  Published

  24 February 2025

  Collaborative doctoral student Jessica Gregory shares her research using records held at The National Archives.

• Narrating ephemeral archival presence: LGBTQ+ histories and Colonial Office records

  

  Published

  12 February 2025

  PhD student Garfield Campbell took on the challenge of scoping LGBTQ+ lives in colonial records. Here, he reflects on his findings.

• Using archives to examine the BSE epidemic

  

  Published

  27 January 2025

  Student Isobel Newby reflects on the research process of undertaking a PhD during a global pandemic.

• Looking for an old blog post?

  

  Published

  1 January 2025

  The new National Archives blogs launched in 2025, but our older posts can still be read in the UK Government Web Archive.