Wolverhampton City Archives has successfully retained its Archives Service Accreditation status following a review by the National Archives.

The City of Wolverhampton Council service continues to provide an excellent standard of customer service, preserves collections in line with national standards and is a robust, sustainable service which plans and delivers ongoing improvement.

Wolverhampton City Archives first received the prestigious honour in 2015 and the latest review recognises it has made further enhancements to its service, with the support of the Friends of the Archives and volunteers.

Melinda Haunton, Programme Manager (Archive Service Accreditation), said: "The Accreditation Panel welcomed this positive update on the service's position, which showed that the very real resource constraints on the service have not restricted its ambitions. They commended the hugely impressive partnership and collaboration work, particularly in enriching collections and meeting community needs. The Panel noted and, also commended the success of the service's review of its onsite provision and opening hours, which showed a strategic response to user needs within existing resources."

Councillor John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for City Economy, added: "Building on its Archives Service Accreditation status is testament to the excellent service Wolverhampton City Archives provides to our city, thanks to the hard work of the staff, Friends of the Archives and volunteers.

"It is a valuable resource, well used by people wanting to explore the rich history of Wolverhampton and its people."

Wolverhampton City Archives houses a wealth of material relating to the history of all parts of the city of Wolverhampton including Bilston, Bushbury, Penn, Tettenhall and Wednesfield.

Its ever growing collection includes maps, books, census returns, newspapers, records from local schools, churches, clubs, societies and businesses, electoral registers, and indexes to births, deaths and marriages.

There are also over 30,000 photographs, plus films, sound recordings, memorabilia and much more.

It is based at the Molineux Hotel Building on Whitmore Hill and is open on Wednesdays from 1pm to 7pm, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 4pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. Admission is free.

For more information about Wolverhampton City Archives, please visit Type=links;Linkid=11317;Title=Wolverhampton Arts and Culture;Target=_blank; or call 01902 552480.

  • released: Wednesday 5 December, 2018