The National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW) holds the national collection of information about the historic environment of Wales from the earliest times to the present day.
It includes almost 2 million photographs and many thousands of drawings, surveys, reports and maps within the following collections:
The main record file series: the records include photographs, drawings, reports, correspondence, etc.
The drawings collection: this collection includes over 11,000 drawings of many types.
The photographic negative collection: the collection comprises about 1.5 million negatives, among them historically important and fragile examples of early photographic techniques.
The aerial photographic collections: these include over 500,000 photographs, including vertical and oblique photography. Photographs originate from the Royal Commission’s own flying programme and from other major sources, including Ordnance Survey and the Royal Air Force and the Aerofilms collection.
Ordnance Survey maps: about 30,000 large-scale maps are held, covering the whole of Wales in several editions and at various scales.
Special collections: in addition to general collections, there are many special collections donated or loaned by other organisations and individuals, or produced through particular RCAHMW projects.
Digital archive: this is a fast-growing collection of digital photographs, texts and surveys produced by the Royal Commission or external sources. Wherever possible these are made directly accessible through Coflein.
The library collections: the NMRW also maintains a specialist library which aims to provide published sources to complement the unpublished information available in the archive.
Search Coflein to find information on a particular site and related archive records.
