The use of GRO in Edinburgh in doubt.

[tidybooks]

See article in the Scotsman,

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01epk/

Hopefully they look after the interests of the genealogists who use this place as well. The building and frontage are synonymous with the east end of Princes Street, hopefully it does not get turned into some modern hotel.

Tom

[fifer1947]

I think sense will prevail. 

There is nowhere in Edinburgh as accessible for travellers by train/bus.  Logically a business plan would have to allow for loss of revenue from visitors who either don't have a car or don't drive. 

If visitors lose half the day trying to find parking or have the added expense of further buses or taxi then the day costs becomes considerably more expensive, for some prohibitive.

[MonicaL]

Would be shocking if it is closed or was relocated elsewhere  It is a building of national importance, like many others are really. Many changes of a similar nature have taken place in London (for example, the building of the National Archives building in Kew), but Edinburgh is not London (different issues, different dynamics). Hopefully a solution will be found...

Monica

[Midlad]

Often wonder who thinks up these things  where they are suggesting placing it is approx. 6 miles west of  where it is sited at the moment in  the centre of Edinburgh.
It was custom built and beautiful building I dread to think what it would turn into .

midlad

[Albanwraig]

Let us hope sanity prevails. They have already closed one archive.
Is it possible for people to lobby their MSPs?
I no longer live in Scotland, so I'm not sure who is ultimately responsible for any decision.
The fact that it is so near bus and train links makes it much easier to get to then the likes of Kew.
The atmosphere is very good and most mss readily available.
Sometimes I have had to order up documents, but that really was not a problem.
I have found the staff very helpful
What do the staff think of the proposed change?

Helenor Jones

[josey]

They have already closed one archive.

I presume you mean West Register House? That was a great loss - and moving to Sighthill?? When WRH closed it meant one could no longer see original plans; at GRH you have to request a digitisation at least 10 days before your visit; if you really need to see the original at Sighthill you are allowed to book a Wednesday am or pm slot. This is not the 'public access' presumed by the donors of all the record to be a consequence of their deposits. The storage & preservation of the records is after all funded by the general public in one way or another & they are gradually having access reduced and removed.

And why can one only access the digital copy onsite at GRH? Surely a benefit of digitisation [as well as preservation which I fully understand] is that it can be consulted anytime, anywhere? In my opinion access to the records service has deteriorated & looks set to continue to do so.

[Albanwraig]

Yes that is what I meant. Even when it was open, there were documents which I had to order in advance. I am sorry to hear that the service has deteriorated.

Just imagine, though, in Wales we have to travel to Aberystwyth. The roads are "difficult" and there is no direct public transport link from South Wales. [We have to travel via Swansea up to Shrewsbury and then across - the routes which existed were of course destroyed by dear Mr Beeching!] When we want to use the archive we "save up" our queries and go for a few days mid week.

Our local archive in Carmarthen has been closed to the public for over a year because of "mold".
Access to documents is crucial if we are not to end up with people regurgitating others' research.

I began working in research in 1966, and, although the internet has opened up some documentation it has also, it seems to me, to have been used as an excuse to limit the opening of archives and the use of archival material.

There, rant over.

Hope all goes well in Edinburgh

Helenor Jones

[hdw]

Here's a link to Thomas Thomson House.

http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/map2.asp

No offence to anyone who lives in Sighthill, but it's a bit of a concrete jungle, miles from the city centre. The only time my wife and I ever go there is to take bulky rubbish items to the recycling tip, which is sensitively positioned next to Edinburgh College. Lucky students. What an environment to study in.

Years ago when I often visited the former Scottish Record Office next-door to the GRO, I occasionally requested a valuation roll and was told they were kept up at Sighthill and I would have to wait 24 hours. I didn't mind, as everything else I needed to look at, e.g. kirk-session and heritors' records, were kept in the SRO and only took minutes to arrive.

The prevailing wisdom in Edinburgh these days is, if it's a lovely old listed building, turn it into a luxury hotel. That was the fate of the Scotsman building at North Bridge, and the journos were decanted to a new building down near the Scottish parliament. Now that building has been sold too, to some games company, I believe, and the Scotchman has decamped again, to an anonymous office building at Orchard Brae, facing the Dean cemetery, which should concentrate their minds.

A luxury hotel is also the latest fate proposed for the iconic former Royal High School building on Calton Hill, which was once touted as the home of the parliament. Plans and mock-ups have appeared in the local press. I hope something positive is done with it soon as it is apparently in a dire state inside after years of neglect.

Harry


   

[Forfarian]

Rumour in NRH last week said that there had already been hotel companies showing interest in RH and/or NRH.

I will certainly be lobbying my MSP and I urge everyone else who lives in Scotland to do the same. If you're not in Scotland, write to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Make the point that making the archives difficult to get to will be detrimental to ancestral tourism.