The Story Collections

The Story Collections

Welcome to our Collections Gateway

Our digital collections can be accessed in person in our Search & Discover area on floor 1 at The Story, however, you can browse our user guides and find out which collections we hold from anywhere.

 

On this floor you can find everything you need to explore the people, places, and events that make County Durham what it is today.

  • View our most fragile and popular collections on screen.
  • Free access to Ancestry, Find My Past and British Library Newspapers.
  • Interactive map tables show how our county has changed over time.
  • Our mini reference library is a taster of our larger book collection.
  • The Certificate Issue counter supports historic civil registration searches.
  • Our Search and Discover case contains items from our collections on topical themes.

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Only a small percentage of our collections are digitised, but you can search our entire holdings using our Online Collections Search. You can also view original archives and objects by booking a place in our Collections Room.

Digitised Collections

View our most used collections online including church registers, newspapers and much more.

Index Search

Search indexes to baptisms, marriages and burials in County Durham up to 1950.

Useful Research Links

Use Ancestry, Find My Past and British Library Newspapers for free, and links to other useful online resources.

Collections Search

Search all of The Story’s collections online including Archives, the DLI, Archaeology, Local Studies, and Historic Registration.

Collections Room Booking

Book a space in the Collections Room to request and view original items. Please note that medal and object requests require additional notice. 

More about the Story

Find out more about The Story, including events, exhibitions and opening hours.

Information Guides

Information guides are introductions to using different types of records in our collection. We will be adding new guides on a regular basis.

Maps

Our interactive mapping service allows you to interact with both modern and historical maps and aerial photographs of County Durham.