General Register House, National archives building in Edinburgh, Scotland
The General Register House is a national archive building in Edinburgh with neoclassical design featuring cream-colored sandstone construction. It rises across two stories with a distinctive central dome above Princes Street, containing search rooms where researchers access historical records and documents.
Robert Adam designed the building between 1774 and 1788 as Britain's first purpose-built public record repository. Funding came from forfeited Jacobite estates, tying the archive's creation to major shifts in Scottish governance and legal administration.
The building draws researchers and genealogists searching for Scottish family roots and historical documents. Visitors experience it as a working archive where personal history and national records intersect in everyday research activities.
The search rooms are available on weekdays with entrance through the main door on Princes Street. Visitors should check opening hours in advance and confirm whether registration or prior arrangement is needed before visiting.
An equestrian bronze statue stands before the entrance commemorating Scottish soldiers from the Battle of Waterloo. Created by sculptor John Steell in 1852, this overlooked monument passes before thousands of daily visitors without drawing much notice.
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