Location
The Charles Close Society Archives are located in the Map Department of Cambridge University Library, West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DR
Hours
The collection is open during normal library hours:
Anyone wishing to use the collection must first acquire a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket. See here for information on the paperwork required and on how to book an appointment with the Registration Office.
Members of the Charles Close Society wishing to consult the Charles Close Society Archives will not be charged for a ticket providing that they have first contacted Anne Taylor and provided their membership number.
The Collections
The archive contains documentary and printed material dealing with cartographic matters with particular relevance to Ordnance Survey.
The Catalogue
The catalogue is held online on ArchiveSearch, the Cambridge University website providing access to catalogues of archives throughout the University. (ArchiveSearch replaced the old catalogue, known as Janus, on 1 March 2021).
To Search Everything in ArchiveSearch
It is, however, not our policy in general for the archive to hold copies of Ordnance Survey or military maps, though it is hoped that the current owners of rare or even unique printings of maps will view the archive as a safe and permanent place of deposit. Many such maps are at risk of disposal, dispersal or destruction, and the disappearance of such irreplaceable items would be a permanent loss to our Ordnance Survey heritage.
Digital Images
A collection of digital images of Ordnance Survey maps, which survive in tiny numbers and are at risk of extinction is held in boxes 218A and 218B in the Archive. See here for full list of archived digital images.