Archival Research in the Environmental Humanities Workshop

The National Archives holds government records on a variety of Environmental History topics including colonial environments, weather and climate change, environmental legislation, botanical history, water management, animal histories, and agricultural history. These themes can be found in the records of a wide range of departments, from the Admiralty and Colonial Office to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Our records have informed research projects and events in this area, including an upcoming symposium on Pollution in the Archive, the National Farm Survey digitisation project, and research by our heritage science team on the presence of animals in the materiality of our records.

We are seeking early career researchers to participate in a workshop on archival research in the Environmental Humanities, which will shape our new research guide on this subject which is currently in development.

The workshop will consist of:

• Talks from experts at The National Archives about our collections, sharing ideas of how our records can be used for environmental history research projects
• Talks from external speakers based at organisations including Kew Gardens, the Natural History Museum, and the Met Office
• A display of original documents
• A session to gain feedback on our new Environmental History research guide

Attendees will be asked to read the research guide in advance and complete some short research tasks in preparation for the workshop. All participants will be expected to attend in person and would benefit from bringing their own laptop.

Lunch will be provided and a number of expenses bursaries of £50 will be available for PhD students and Early Career Researchers.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for a workshop space, please click ‘get tickets’.

You will be asked to answer the following questions to help us better understand workshop attendees interests and needs ahead of time:

1. What is your interest in Environmental Humanities research?
2. How familiar are you with The National Archives and our collections?
3. Are you an Early Career Researcher (PhD student, or within eight years of receiving your PhD), and if so, would you like to be considered for an expenses bursary?

PhD students and Early Career Researchers will be prioritised in the selection process.

The deadline for applications is 9 October 2025 at 18:00. Successful applicants will be notified by 16 October 2025.

Also check out other Workshops in Isleworth.