District and Borough Council Records

Nottinghamshire Archives holds records for:

• Urban District Councils (Arnold, Beeston and Stapleford, Carlton, Eastwood, Hucknall Huthwaite, Hucknall Torkard, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Sutton in Ashfield, Warsop and West Bridgford)
• Rural District Councils (Basford, Bingham, East Retford, Leake, Misterton, Newark, Skegby, Southwell, Stapleford and Worksop)
• Municipal Borough Councils (East Retford, Mansfield, Newark and Worksop)
• District Councils (Ashfield, Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Newark and Sherwood, and Rushcliffe)
• Local Boards (Basford, Bulwell, Lenton, Radford and Sneinton)

District and Borough Councils have responsibility for certain aspects of local government within their area, which are not under the jurisdiction of the County Council.

The variety and range of documents varies between each council.

Main groups of documents

Main groups of documents include:

Council meetings minutes

Coverage: mid-19th - 20th centuries
Minutes of the meetings of the district or borough council. These series are usually found within the records of the Clerk's Department.

Return to top

Committee meetings minutes

Coverage: 19th - 20th centuries
Minutes of the meetings of various committees. Such committees include Building, Sanitary and Housing; Highways; and Housing and Town Planning. These series are usually found within the records of the Clerk's Department.

Return to top

Building control plans

Coverage: 1875 - 1974
Scale plans of individual buildings, often detailed, and often with elevations, sections and a site plan, though the amount of detail and additional material varies. Alterations and additions to buildings may only convey the relevant part. Plans were accompanied by a copy of the application form. These series are usually found within the records of the Engineer's and Surveyor's Department.

Coverage of buildings throughout the county is far from comprehensive. Plans are usually filed in date order of receipt, though some are filed alphabetically by street name. Accessing individual plans must be done through a Building Plan Register.

For plans of buildings in the City of Nottingham, see the City Council records.

Return to top

Building plan registers

Coverage: 1875 - 1974
Registers of plans filed by the council. Each register usually contains the street name, a brief description of the work, name of owner, name of architect or builder, and date of approval. Entries in the register are arranged chronologically according to the date the plans were submitted to the council. Registers may also contain an index by street or applicant. These series are usually found within the records of the Engineer's and Surveyor's Department.

To access a plan, it is necessary to consult the register first to locate the plan number and/or details. Although plans should exist for every building in the register, many have been lost or destroyed since it was compiled.

Return to top

How to find the document you want

District Council records are arranged firstly by council and, within each council, by department. There are catalogues of District Council records available in the archives search room. There is also an index of places and an index of maps and plans available.

Because building plans are arranged by date, it is necessary to have an idea of the date the building you are looking for was erected. Trade directories and Ordnance Survey Maps can help in identifying when a building was put up. It will be necessary first to consult the plan register, to obtain the plan number or the register page number, the plan's date of submission, the building's description and address and the applicant's name. With this information, the original plan can be ordered.

The registers for Arnold Urban District Council, Carlton Urban District Council and Newark Municipal Borough are available on microfiche. A list of surviving plans between 1960 and 1974 for Basford Rural District Council is available in the search room. Plans submitted between 1895 and 1965 to West Bridgford Urban District Council are available on microfilm, but need to be ordered as original items.

Download our leaflet on Building Control Plans [PDF 120KB]

Return to top