Brighton History Centre
Upper floor of Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Royal Pavilion Gardens
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 1EE
Telephone +44 (0)1273 296972
Email localhistory@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Opening times
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm (closed Sunday and Monday)
Admission FREE
How to get here
On foot Brighton History Centre is located in the heart of the city centre
By bus Buses stop outside the Royal Pavilion on Pavilion Parade or on North Street, which is five minutes walk from the museum
By train 15 minutes walk from Brighton train station
Brighton’s History Centre is located on the first floor of Brighton Museum. It is a unique ‘one stop shop’ for information on all of Brighton & Hove’s Museums’ and Libraries’ collections and is the place to come to research any aspect of the city’s heritage.
Explore Brighton’s local history using a variety of reference materials including newspapers and periodicals, books and pamphlets, photographs, maps, oral histories and film material. Family history enthusiasts can search through electoral rolls, passenger lists and military material. And there is lots of help and advice on hand for those new to family history research. Browse the handlists here.
Many of our local history books form part of the rare books collections. Find out more about how to access our rare books.
Offer: The 1911 census vouchers are available for £5 at the Brighton History Centre. There is no charge to use the computers and the staff will be on hand to help you if you have problems using the vouchers.
How can I access and use the local history and family history resources?
A visit to Brighton History Centre is free and requires no membership.
A lot of pre-research can be done in the comfort of your own home by looking through our local history and family history online pages. These will tell you the kind of resources we hold and will guide you to other helpful online resources such as the Familia website and the Ancestry website.
Can we do the research for you?
Yes. If we can complete your request within 10 minutes it is free. All other requests are chargeable.
What else do we offer at Brighton History Centre?
- free internet access for accessing information on museums collections, local and family history.
- pre-booking of computers, microfiche and microfilm readers
- photocopying facilities
- a shop selling books, gifts and souvenirs
- 1901 and 1911 census vouchers for sale
- image reproduction service
To avoid disappointment you can pre-book our computers and microfiche readers before you arrive, or contact us for any other enquiry.
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