THE
BRITISH
TAROT ARCHIVE

Beeston, Nottinghamshire, UK

The UK’s home for tarot history, art, and culture.

The British Tarot Archive is an independent national research archive based in Beeston, Nottinghamshire. It acquires, preserves, documents and studies tarot decks and related material, serving as a national resource for the study of tarot history, art and culture in Britain.The Archive’s physical collection is international in scope, encompassing historic editions, scarce and out-of-print material, mass-market publications and contemporary independently produced decks. Particular attention is given to material at risk of being overlooked or lost.The Archive documents tarot as both material heritage and intangible cultural heritage. Alongside preserving decks, publications and ephemera, it records how tarot is designed, published, circulated, interpreted, taught, used and collected, together with the histories of its artists, readers, practitioners and previous owners.Selected holdings will be made publicly accessible through a forthcoming video library. Research arising from the collection will be published through working papers, conference papers, articles and public talks.The Archive also has archival-quality scanning facilities. High-resolution reference scans of selected cards and related material may be provided on a case-by-case basis, subject to copyright, condition and intended use. Fees apply for this service.

• Collection
• Events
• Contact

© 2026 Finbarre Snarey. All rights reserved.

Collection

Independent and Small-Press DecksThe Archive acquires independently published, self-published and limited-edition tarot decks whose availability may be brief or restricted. These holdings preserve the work of contemporary artists and creators while documenting how tarot is designed, produced and circulated outside mainstream publishing.Decks of Research SignificanceThe Archive collects decks with particular historical, artistic, cultural or social significance. This includes scarce editions, unusual printings, decks with documented provenance and cards associated with notable people, events or developments in tarot and occult history.Associated Archives and EphemeraThe collection extends beyond the cards themselves. Guidebooks, correspondence, preparatory artwork, promotional material, production records and other ephemera provide evidence of how decks were conceived, created, published, received and used. These materials help preserve tarot as both material heritage and intangible cultural heritage.Related Divination and Fortune-Telling MaterialThe Archive also acquires objects that document the wider history of fortune-telling and divination in Britain. These may include cigarette and trade cards, jewellery, charms, runes, dice, casting tools, games, printed instructions, promotional ephemera and other commercially produced divination systems.Material is considered where it has a clear connection to British manufacture, distribution, ownership, popular culture or practice. These holdings place tarot within the broader history of British divination and demonstrate how fortune-telling traditions have entered domestic life, entertainment, advertising, fashion and material culture.Tarot AmnestyThe British Tarot Archive works alongside Tarot Amnesty, an independent voluntary project that accepts unwanted tarot and oracle decks and redistributes them to new readers without charge.Where a donated item has particular historical, artistic, cultural or research significance, it may be assessed against the Archive’s collecting priorities. With the donor’s agreement, suitable material may be transferred into the British Tarot Archive for long-term preservation, documentation and research.

• Back