Family activity
Ministry of Time Travel: online mission
Are you brave enough to become a Time Agent in this online adventure?
What's On
Everything that's on
Browse all of our events, exhibitions and displays.
Events
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Tour
Behind the scenes tours
Take the chance to go behind the scenes at The National Archives' repositories and see a range of historical documents.
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Tour
Love Letters Curator tour
Discover 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice and passion with our expert curator.
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Talk
Wallis and Edward: the greatest love story of the 20th century
How did Wallis Simpson, a Baltimore socialite become one of the most vilified women of the 20th century?
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Talk
Stories of compassion, love and loss: Re-presenting the AIDS epidemic
Discover some of the ways in which archives and communities are working to re-present the AIDS epidemic.
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Family activity
Time Travel Tots: messy play
Join us for a messy play session! We'll use lots of fun sensory materials to spark children's imagination and creativity.
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Talk
Secrets of The National Archives: The Act of Supremacy 1534
Explore King Henry VIII’s groundbreaking act and its far-reaching consequences.
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Talk
Victoria's Secret - the Private Passion of a Queen
Delve into the intimately entangled lives of Queen Victoria and her devoted servant John Brown.
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Family activity
Time Travel Tots: sensory storytelling
Excite your child's senses through music, play, props and toys bringing themes from our collection to life.
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Talk
Secrets of The National Archives: King’s Book and Compendium Compertorum
Discover sex, superstition and supremacy in two of the most important records of the Reformation
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Family activity
Time Travel Tots: musical storytelling
Sing, dance and shake your way through time in a musical adventure!
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Talk
Jane Austen’s legacy: in conversation with Gill Hornby
Explore the legacy of one of our best loved novelists, Jane Austen.
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Talk
Secrets of The National Archives: the will of Henry VIII
The last will and testament of Henry VIII with Suzannah Lipscomb.
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Family activity
The Enchanted Cinema
Embark on a cinematic adventure and help bring classic animated films to life as part of a family orchestra.
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Family activity
Time Travel craft club
Get creative and crafty with the family this summer!
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Family activity
Time Travel Club: chocolate in the archives
Explore the weird and wonderful records related to chocolate in the Archives!
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Family activity
Time Travel Club: spring storytelling
Explore the season of spring through sensory storytelling inspired by images from our collection!
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Late
Love Letters: it's a match!
A late-night celebration of love and literary longing, in partnership with England’s first romance only bookshop, Saucy Books.
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Talk
Researching your 20th century ancestors
Discover your ancestors through our family history records.
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Talk
Family history: tracing your Irish ancestors
Join experts from The National Archives and the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland to start tracing your Irish ancestry.
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Talk
The Life, Death and ‘Afterlife’ of Henry VI
The tragic reign of the boy king who almost became a saint.
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Talk
1926 Census of the Irish Free State
An unmissable exploration of the biggest new arrival in Irish family history.
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Tour
Behind the scenes tours
Take the chance to go behind the scenes at The National Archives' repositories and see a range of historical documents.
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Talk
Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker
Discover the life of one of the most remarkable and influential women of the Middle Ages.
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Talk
Cecily Duchess of York: Kings' Mother and Politician
Historian Joanna Laynesmith explores the life of Cecily, Duchess of York, one of the major players of the Wars of the Roses.
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Talk
Henry VII: Treason and Trust
Discover the story of one of England’s unlikeliest monarchs.
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Family activity
Time Travel Club: music through history
Explore the history of music and have a go at making your own instruments!
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Talk
The House of Boleyn
Join bestselling author and historian Tracy Borman as she vividly brings to life the story behind her new novel, The House of Boleyn.
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Family activity
Time Travel Club: musical adventures
Go on a musical adventure through history inspired by our collection!
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Talk
The Great Resistance: the 400-year fight to end slavery in the Americas
Historian Carrie Gibson tells the epic story of the fight to end slavery.
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Talk
1966: the best of times?
60 years on, join us to explore the ups and downs of 1966.
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Talk
Pipe Rolls: Cross-Channel Lordship in the Middle Ages
Join us for the annual Pipe Roll Society Lecture.
Exhibitions and displays
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Exhibition
Happy & Glorious
See artwork commissioned for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023, on public display for the first time.
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Display
Stories Unboxed
Each month we take a single, remarkable document, put it on display, and explore its story.
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Display
The Cabinet Table
Examine our replica Cabinet table and explore leaders from the past through their documents at this permanent display.
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Exhibition
Love Letters
A free exhibition showcasing 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice and passion. Open 24 January to 12 April 2026.