Visit the archive

The ARC has many amazing treasures from more than 100 years of guiding history, stored in a purpose-built, temperature controlled centre.

It is unique in the UK because Girlguiding UK, our national body, does not currently have accessible archives.

But the collection really comes to life when people visit us to explore and discover our thousands of incredible artefacts for themselves.

So why not pay us a visit and see the past come to life?  

The ARC, built by Girlguiding Norfolk in 2016, is within the grounds of the county’s Patteson Lodge Activity Centre at Coltishall, eight miles north of Norwich.  It is very near Girlguiding Anglia’s activity centre at Hautbois House and groups staying at both centres can book sessions and use the facilities at the ARC.

You don’t have to be a guiding member to use our centre – social historians and researchers find our archive invaluable when looking into the lives of girls and women over the last century.

But if you are a Girlguiding unit leader or a member of the Trefoil Guild, then we can definitely offer you some great opportunities:

• Let us lead a session for you at the ARC – learn more about guiding heritage and traditions and try out some guiding skills from years gone by.
• Have a tailor-made session to suit a theme your unit is working on.
• Link Skills Builders and Unit Meeting Activities to sessions at the ARC. (link to Programme Fun Pages)
• Borrow some of our resources to organise and enhance your own activities. Boxes of uniforms and traditional items are available.
• Borrow our Pop up Museum for display at your events, encouraging people to visit and access our resources, or try out a taster activity.

We’re here to help and open to all suggestions!

If you are visiting the area, download our Come and Visit Us leaflet 

How to visit

For more information or to book a visit, email arc@girlguidingnorfolk.org.uk

Booking information is also available on our contact page.

Or contact the ARC on 01603 737 972 and leave a message.

Address: The ARC 14 Great Hautbois Road Coltishall, Norwich NR12 7JN

Opening times: Mondays 10am-4pm, or by appointment.

Public transport: X55 service from Norwich Bus Station.

Please note that if you are visiting the ARC, please park outside the ARC, not at Patteson Lodge and car share if possible. We wear slippers inside, so do bring some, and we only use pencils, not pens, to avoid damaging the collection. You may also be asked to wash your hands to help protect our archive.