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Doors open day 2010

About doors open day

On Saturday 25 September 2010 the ScotlandsPeople Centre opened our doors to anyone interested in learning about researching their family tree. General Register House welcomed a total of 2,588 visitors, and New Register House 957 - a grand total of 3,545.

Visitors were able to enjoy guided tours of General Register House, learning about the records stored inside Robert Adam's wonderful Georgian building. There were 9 tours in total. There were also talks about the Centre and Scottish family history in the New Register House seminar facility (6 presentations altogether). There were also mini-taster sessions in the Reid room at GRH. (8 sessions).

All of the events were fully booked with standing room only for some of the talks. Visitors were able to order extracts from the Public Counter in New Register House and our shop and café facilities also did a roaring trade. Roll on Doors Open Day 2011!

Photographs of the occasion

This slideshow contains photographs taken during the doors open day.
Reproduced with permission of National Archives of Scotland (Crown copyright).

Members of the public are welcomed to the Centre.

A couple relax amongst the historic volumes archived in the dome.

A view from above as the Adam Dome search room gets busier.

Visitors are given a gentle introduction to the fascinating world of family history research.

King George III towers over the proceedings in the Adam Dome.

A closer inspection of several centuries of Scottish historical documents.

The upper floor is used as an observation point.

A closer view of the next tier up in the dome records.

Visitors get closer to the actual domed ceiling of the Adam Dome.

The Reid stairwell leading to the first floor of General Register House.

Visitors head for the Reid search room and a chance to experience taster sessions.

The Reid search room fills with visitors eager to explore their family trees.

The taster sessions prove an excellent introduction to the family history search software.

Visitors by the stairwell leading to the upper floor of General Register House.

Visitors congregating at the upper floor.

A selection of pamphlets await visitors in the Historic Search Room.

Pete Wadley (NAS) introduces some young Scots to their ancestry.

Visitors get the chance to study some of the 57 varieties of plant species, each connected to aspects of Scottish history and genealogy.

The final port of call, a chance to browse through the variety of family history-related books and souvenirs in the shop.

Thanks for visiting and we look forward to seeing you at the Doors Open Day 2011.