The National Archives (TNA)

What a nightmare, the place is difficult, sometimes impossible to get there now because of road congestion and when you finally arrive completely knackard, you cant see all the docs you ordered. Great, its a shame the surviving staff are on the receiving end of abuse, but on the other hand I can understand where readers are coming from, though staff abuse is not the answer. I thought there was (is) a readers pressure group who look after the interests of the readers.

I travel there by train and tube, thougth the Richmond branch is not so frequent on the District line.
It takes me just over 2hrs and I normally leave home at around 07:15 so try to get there for a bite of breakfast before the opening rush for the reading rooms.

The thing I find strange is that people leave all their belongings on the desk when the go to the loo or a bite to eat. Me, I carry the lot in the nice designer bag they provide.

Oh it gets worse, acording to my man Carnaby, they are charging £5 for parking come April!!

A question on large maps. If I wanted to view the large documents in the BT 356 range where do I view them? I forgot to ask last time I went.
There is a large table in the reading room with the lead snakes but the light is appalling there and you cast your own shadow. Would it be this one?
Also are they rolled or folded? The ones I have used so far have been folded and ruddy awkward to photo graph.
I have got some tiff files on CD via online ordering but at £29 for three(ish) the cost for the ones I want will be in the hundreds!

Incidentally a sticky on using the National Archives would be useful for newcomers to this lark. All based on first hand experience and not the official guide.

Also what about a review of documents on this forum to aid researchers? I can't work out if the TNA website allows this or not!

Maps are generally only available in the map room and again the light is very poor - in fact its worse than the reading room. They are supplied rolled I think. Its a complete joke, the place is an expensive nightmare.

Thanks NP. I might consider a map trip and switch the camera to a high ISO number!

I wonder if the post election spending cuts will affect TNA? Surely an ideal candidate for Lottery money if they are affected. Surely a programme if digitisation would help cut long term costs. Whoops just remembered governments can't see beyond 4years!

Surely it cant get any worse. Should of realised when they changed the name to TNA that it was the beginning of the down hill slide. Then came the family history unit moving in, followed by Monday closing, staff reductions with long waiting times. We are due for excessive car parking charges from 1 April.

They call it The National Archives but it should be The National Disgrace (TND).