Experience days at the Essex Record Office
Aged 16 to 20? Interested in a career in archives and heritage? Come along to the ERO experience days on Friday 14 August and Tuesday 25 August to find out more about working in an archive.
Established in 1938, the Essex Record Office cares for documents, maps, images and sound and video recordings that together tell the stories of over 1,000 years of Essex history.
Our holdings, which include parish registers, diaries, letters, court records, wartime records, manorial records and school records, take up over 8 miles of shelving, making us one of the largest county archives in England. We are also home to the Essex Sound and Video Archive.
The experience day will be an opportunity to find out more about the different roles in an archive, from conserving historical documents to cataloguing them and making them accessible to the public. It will also be an opportunity to ask questions about volunteering and routes into the sector.
What will the day involve?
A behind-the-scenes tour of the archive, including our Searchroom, the repositories, and our digitisation and conservation studios
An introduction to some of the treasures from our collections
Hands-on research and conservation tasks, working with original documents and our online catalogue
For information about the ERO and accessibility, visit: https://www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk/visit-us
Please get in touch if you have any questions about the day before joining us! Email ero.enquiry@essex.gov.uk or call 03330 132500.
This is one of two experience days - to book the experience day on Tuesday 25 August, book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/experience-day-at-the-essex-record-office-tickets-1989371622074
Event details
Explore Essex
Search our parks and places to plan your perfect day out

Need to know
Explorer Pass
Save money with your Explorer Pass
Our annual Explore Essex Pass will give you and your family the freedom to explore some of the incredible places and green spaces that Essex has to offer, as many times as you like throughout the year, with free parking at seven country parks, 2 or 1 on Sky Ropes, priority booking on specific events, and 10% discounts at many cafes and visitor centres.
Related events

Essex Record Office: Archive Explorers Club
Come along to our free stay and play session for parents, carers and under-fives for an opportunity to meet other parents, enjoy a hot drink, and look through a selection of historic records.
- Dates:
- July 2, 2026
- July 16, 2026
- Venue: Essex Record Office
- Times: 10:00am - 12:00pm
- For under 5s
- Price: Free

ERO Presents Special: Growing Old and Facing Poverty in Eighteenth-Century Essex
Join speaker Dr. Susannah R. Ottaway for this talk about changing attitudes towards ageing and shifting methods of poor relief.
- Dates: July 16, 2026
- Venue: Essex Record Office
- Times: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
- For adults
- Price: £6.75

ERO Presents: The life and work of J.A. Baker (1926-1987)
Join speaker Dr Sarah Demelo for this talk about the life and work of J.A. Baker, the author of The Peregrine.
- Dates: July 28, 2026
- Venue: Essex Record Office
- Times: 10:30am - 12:00pm
- For adults
- Price: £6.75