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The Devon Record Office, Exeter, will close most of its operations as from Monday, 5th July 2004, for about five months. This is to allow time to make final preparations for the move to the new premises, to move the documents from the existing two storage sites and to establish the office in the new building, Great Moor House, Bittern Road, Sowton, Exeter, ready to open again with significantly improved facilities and an enhanced service designed to meet the needs of a wide range of users. This does not affect the North Devon Record Office, Barnstaple, and the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, Plymouth, which will continue to operate as normal. From Monday, 5th July 2004 there will be a service point, with copying facilities, in the Castle Street, Exeter, premises, at which current microfilm and microfiche sources (parish registers, electoral registers, tithe maps and apportionments, etc.) will continue to be made available but with limited staffing. The microfilm and microfiche copies of certain categories of documents in the Devon Record Office, Exeter, currently held in the North Devon Record Office, the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, and for their own areas, the various Service Points around the county, will be able to be consulted at these locations as at present (but note that Exeter staff will not be visiting the Service Points during the closure period). The research service will continue to operate during the closure but may be affected by the unavailability of documents at various periods while the office is closed. All other services will be suspended during the closure period. This includes photocopying (other than the facilities in the Castle Street service point), enquiries (post, fax, e-mail and telephone) other than those of a legal or official nature and the provision of copy microfilm/fiche of parish registers. We will not be able to accept deposits of records until after the office opens in the new building. Further information about the opening date of the Devon Record Office, Exeter, at its new premises will be announced in due course. For more information on the move plans and the new building itself, the North Devon Record Office, the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, Service Points and the research service, see our web pages at: http://www4.devon.gov.uk/dro/homepage.html <http://www4.devon.gov.uk/dro/homepage.html> . John Draisey County Archivist Devon Record Office 4th June 2004