General Register House

General Register House is one of three Edinburgh archive buildings of the National Archives of Scotland (NAS). It is situated at the East End of Princes Street, near Waverley Station and St. Andrew Square.

This is a good starting point for genealogists to research their scottish ancestry, solicitors to check on historical records for property, or for any member of the public to dig into Scottish history at its source.

The National Archives of Scotland exists "to select, preserve, and make available the national archives of Scotland in whatever medium, to thehighest standards; to promote the growth and maintenance of proper archive provision throughout the country; and to lead the development of archival practice in Scotland."

Two search rooms are housed at General Register House: the Historical Search Room and the Legal Search Room. The Historical Search Room is used for researching family, local, national and international history. The Legal Search Room is used for certain types of legal and commercial research, primarily using the public registers and adoption records. Once you have applied for a 3-year pass to the archive, what they call a "ticket", you can consult the early government records, church records, estate and political papers, and other private collections, and records relating to property that are housed here.

Building History

General Register House, Scotland's original national archive, was one of the first government buildings to be built in Britain and the first purpose-designed record repository in Britain. The building, which was ready for occupation in 1788, was constructed to a design by then London-based Robert Adam. General Register House is directly positioned at the end of North Bridge and at the East End of Princes Street. There is a large statue of the Duke of Wellington in front of the archive building.