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ScotlandsPeople Centre

Welcome to the ScotlandsPeople Centre

Anyone wishing to explore the fascinating world of Scottish family history can access digitised sources - birth, marriage and death records, wills, census records and coats of arms - going back almost 500 years. Staff are on hand to assist and information manuals are available.

Our opening hours are Monday-Friday, 09:00-16:30.

We have FREE introductory taster sessions between
10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00. You can't pre-book; drop by and see if there are free seats.

To pre-book £10 day search places, phone 0131 314 4300 or email (via our online Bookings form). By pre-paying you can go straight to your seat.

The costs for all our services, including prints or electronic saves, are detailed in our Charges page. Please use the form on our Contact us page to email enquiries.

Searching the records

Our search rooms

All about our search rooms:
layouts, facilities, costs

About the records

Guide to the wealth of
records stored

Assisted searches

Our staff will help
with your search

Virtual search

Try a virtual search
of family history

Centre resources

Famous Scots

Historical figures
from our records

Archivists' Garden

57 plants connected
to Scotlands People

Cafe

Enjoy refreshments
during your search

Customer survey

If you visit the Centre and
leave feedback you could win
a free day-pass.

News

Doors Open Day, 25 Sep 2010
On the last Saturday in September we will offer visitors talks, taster sessions and the opportunity to browse some Famous Scots' family histories. A full program of events will be published nearer the time.

Sporting greats
Discover famous Scottish sporting figures whose details are recorded at the Centre, from golfers and swimmers to European Cup-winning football managers.

Map to illustrate road closures, from googlemaps

Traffic news
During the papal visit to Edinburgh on 16 September, traffic restrictions will affect travel to the Centre (Princes Street will be closed). Full details are available here: Edinburgh Council.

Publications

Useful websites
A comprehensive list of family history-related websites is available to anyone visiting the Centre (300 at the last count, with more being added all the time!)

Centre images
Images of the Centre are available for personal use.

• We have now incorporated a search engine to help you find any information you might be looking for.

• A new Help facility answers all your queries about the Centre, searching and booking.

Introductory leaflet
Download the latest version of our ScotlandsPeople Centre leaflet.

ScotlandsPeople Centre
General Register House
2 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YY