Situated just to the south of the River Thames - a UK government department and an executive agency of the Secretary of State for Justice. It holds or provides access to the records of England and the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate archives).
Previously a number of separate organisations - the Public Record Office, the Historical Manuscripts Commission (formerly the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts), the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) and Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). Formerly part of the records were stored at offices in [[Chancery Lane].
There is a museum in the building including a range of materials from the Domesday Book onwards, and there are regular lectures.
The closest station is Kew Gardens Station.