Storage of documents

[phsvm]

I have recently come into ownership of a number of fairly old house deeds, letters, legal documents, photos etc and want to store them properly.

Can any one recommend a supplier for archival envelopes, boxes etc.

I already have the white gloves for handling the material so I've made a start!

[Mick Loney]

Try visiting S&N genealogy supplies at https://genealogysupplies.com/.
They have a wide range of archival material.

[paulr1949]

I've used the S&N folders and those from My History. I had to store a number of oversized documents and (I think) the "My History" selection better suited that (they were pre-war school certificates and Army Papers of my father-in-law)
https://www.my-history.co.uk/acatalog/A ... ation.html

[Guy]

First thing to do is to forget about the white gloves, they have caused as much damage to fragile documents as they have saved.
Best policy is to wash your hands and dry thoroughly before handling your documents and repeat often throughout the process.

If at all possible store documents flat where possible as any folds will eventually cause damage.
Cheers
Guy

[Thunder]

I used to be told that acid-free envelopes were the best and as Guy says ditch the white gloves, although TNA ask you to use them for photographs.

[devonliz]

At what point does one's archive of documents become suitable for deposit in County Archives or equivalent? And how does one go about this?

I remember seeing a basket of old property deeds outside a charity bookshop ... and a few years ago someone turned up at my father's door with the old deeds for his (very old) house. In the latter case, I think he did take it to the Council Offices, but I wonder how much has been lost in clearing out old offices.

[Thunder]

The archives can be put in an archive at any time and you would need to approach the Senior Archivist at that archive. Almost certainly you would need a written agreement on access, how long would you need to close any document for, including data protection and anything that could harm someone in their lifetime (assumed to be up to 100 years of age). I would also check that the archive has fire and water prevention measures as well as data protection policies in operation and that you could remove the documents at any time, that may be subject to a charge.