Uk Hydrographic Office
About us
The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) Archive in Taunton, Somerset, holds over 400 years of maritime history. It is one of the most comprehensive maritime collections of its type worldwide.
Since the UKHOs establishment in 1795, our archive has remained a valuable repository for our maritime heritage, preserving centuries of navigational and hydrographic records for future generations.
Archive contents
Our experts manage millions of records detailing maritime history worldwide, dating from the 17th century to today. Some of our treasured records of historical and scientific significance include:
- 24 of the 25 remaining hand-drawn surveys of the Great British Coast by Captain Greenvile Collins, 1681-1688
- correspondence and surveys from HMS Beagles Voyage to South America, 1831-1836
- correspondence and surveys from Sir Ernest Shackletons renowned Antarctic expedition aboard The Endurance, 1914-1915
- Second World War silk maps of Europe, c.1939-1945
You can find descriptions of records, including featured collections, in our online catalogue.
You can also search descriptions of records in the collections survey document, which provides a high-level description of the data and documents in our archive.
Our experts are happy to help with questions about records not in our catalogue or further historical information.
Historical holdings and the UKHO Archive
We receive a wide range of data from all corners of the world. In 1962, we became a Place of Deposit under the Public Records Act 1958; this allows us to hold and maintain our historical archive on-site.
Surveys
We receive about 400 hydrographic surveys annually, including those by the Royal Navy Surveying Squadron, contract survey companies and other contractors and developers.
We register, copy and evaluate each survey with the relevant chart branch before placing them in our archive with their accompanying field data.
We have collected surveys since 1795 and hold an estimated 60,000 sheets from 1830 to today. You can find these on the Discovery website.
We have transferred some surveys dated before 1830 to The National Archives.
For those surveys not listed on the Discovery website, please email research@ukho.gov.uk to request finding aids. Please state geographical areas/positions, dates and the type of data you are interested in, for example, depths, wrecks, trigonometrical etc. We have split our survey index finding aids into three eras:
- pre 1930
- 1930-1979
- 1980-2008
For modern survey data, please see the ADMIRALTY Marine Data Portal.
Record copies of ADMIRALTY charts
Record copies of published ADMIRALTY charts produced since 1800 are notable to our archive. While we dont have every record copy, it is possible to trace the history of most charts from the 1830s to today.
We organise our record copies by chart number in an old copy bundle. You can find records of charts in our catalogues dating back to 1825.
Table of online chart catalogues
For catalogues not found via the methods above, please email re