Today’s Daily Telegraph newspaper carries an impassioned plea from Ruth Wilcock about the dangers facing Britain’s National Archives at Kew. She draws attention not just to the recently announced prospective closure of its building for one day a week, to its sacking of staff and the withdrawal of documents on microfilm but also to the long-term consequences of moving the Family History Centre from central London to Kew, the downgrading of library facilities and the obsession with digitising popular records. It is a grim litany but sadly a true one. The present government, let alone the NA’s management, hopes that few people will notice this assault on one of the guardians of Britain’s heritage. Ruth Wilcock has drawn this sorry business to wider attention. She deserves our support. The National Archives deserve better treatment too.
