Carpark closure: From Monday 29 April 2024 the car park at Dorset History Centre will be closed. It will reopen in November 2024.

Centre closure: The Dorset History Centre will be closed from Monday 25 November to Friday 6 December 2024 for essential collection work. After this work, all enquiries will be processed in the order received, causing some delays. For urgent enquiries call: 01305 250550 and leave a message.

... a thousand years, a million stories

Dorset History Centre is the archives service and local studies library for Bournemouth, Christchurch, Dorset and Poole.
We house Dorset's local archives - from council records to personal collections.