Before everything else, let me mention that the weather cooperated throughout the two weeks I was in England. On a couple of days, there were brief periods of very light rain, more like drizzle. I was lucky; there was plenty of water flowing downstream for these folks working up a sweat at Henley-on-Thames.
My first research stop was a day-trip to London’s Hackney Archives. Most people think of the London Archives (formerly the LMA) when researching London ancestors. There are genealogical treasures to be found at London’s borough archives, too.
To get there, I travelled from Waterloo Station via the Jubilee Line, changing at Canada Water to the Windrush Overground. Then it was eight stops with familiar East End names to Dalston 
Junction station, which is steps from the combined library and archives building. After I completed the brief formalities and paid (no cash accepted) for unlimited use of my cellphone camera, I was set up at a table where my preordered material, copies of The Review, the unofficial magazine of Hackney Downs School, was waiting for me. The facility was well used, with a continual buzz of activity. It took only a couple of hours to complete my research, enough time for a late sandwich lunch in a nearby park and to walk over to a cemetery where two ancestors are buried.
Birmingham Library and Archives was an overnight trip, although it turned out I could have completed the research in a day. New Street Station and my hotel were within comfortable walking distance of the archives. It’s in a new facility since the last time I was there, when you had to climb a dizzying spiral staircase to get to some of the holdings. Once again, my pre-ordered materials, including annual reports and meeting minutes for Saltley (Teacher Training) College, were waiting for me at a table with a comfortable chair and plenty of indirect natural light. I found I needed material from earlier than I’d ordered. Staff were able to retrieve those within 10 minutes – not the days it can take at Library and Archives Canada.
My final research stop was Great Yarmouth Library, which had relocated to a former department store since my last visit. Once again, although I’d not ordered in advance, they were able to retrieve the street directories I wanted within 10 minutes. With the directory information, I was able to pinpoint precisely where I was on 4 December 1950.
Overall, I was happy with the archival research facilities. The only negative aspect was the payment required for using your camera at both Hackney and Birmingham. For one day, it was acceptable, but it would be different if your research were ongoing. I did find everything expensive, but my frame of reference for what things should cost in the UK is a bit dated!