Thanks for the information, Philip.
I'm quite sad to think that those huge index volumes are gone. I spent days/ weeks/ months! hoisting them between shelf and stand. Did they say whether they have been retired temporarily, or is it permanent? I don't think there would be room to display them at Kew which was already short of space when they opened.

Many genealogical libraries have the b/m/d indexes on fiche, and they are also available on Ancestry.com. Increasing numbers are on www.freebmd.org.uk/
But not the same as having access to the actual volumes!

Do you know what has happened to the indexes not available online or on fiche? Adoptions, and Miscellaneous Records (Consular, Marine, various Army ones, British Nationals abroad, etc.)?

Sue