HAVE you ever fancied having a go at tracing your family tree but you don't know where to start?

Now you have an opportunity to find out more at the Greater Manchester County Record Office.

Tomorrow the office, in Marshall Street, New Cross, Manchester, will fling open its doors and invite the public in for a special tour.

There is the chance to find out how to study your family history, you can have a go at conserving historic documents and learn all about the incredible collections held by the record office.

Many people may be unaware of the office's existence, and if they do know about it they probably don't realise what goes on there.

It is a fascinating building, housing all manner of old documents, photographs and archive material which can be accessed by anyone with an interest.

Bolton residents can use the office, free of charge, and the most used service is the national index to births, deaths and marriages which has helped many people embark on the, often lengthy, journey through their family's past.

Tomorrow's open day could help you learn how to start the process of piecing together your family's history and although most people visit the office for that very reason there are many other interesting aspects to the work carried out there.

The office houses fascinating historic documents including an Elizabethan charter for the establishment of a school, which dates back to the middle of the 16th century.

The oldest document the office holds is one dating back to 1197.

A walk round the storerooms of the record office reveals row after row of old books and documents, kept in as near to ideal conditions as possible, including a constant monitoring of temperature and storage in acid-free boxes, which keep out light and dust. Thanks to cleaners Irene and Pat the shelves are kept as clear of dust as possible. Deputy county archivist Elizabeth Oxborrow-Cowan explained: "Dust can be extremely damaging to old documents and photographs."

Another very interesting aspect of the work carried out at the office is conservation, with people entrusting their most valuable documents into the careful hands of conservator Nic Rayner.

Most of the work carried out in the conservation lab is for outside companies and individuals who pay for their old documents and books to be restored to their former glory.

It is a time-consuming process and means Nic rarely gets the chance to work on the office's own collection, some of which is in need of some tender loving care.

But thanks to the work he carries out Nic is able to give documents a new lease of life, which amazingly could mean they are still readable in hundreds of years time. He said: "The work we carry out should ensure the documents are in good condition for between 500 and 800 years."

A freeze-dryer is used to dry out water-damaged documents and the lab has a fascinating piece of machinery that can give substance back to flimsy old documents by filling them in with pulp.

Tomorrow members of the public will get the chance to try their hand at gold leaf lettering -- the type used on old books -- and will find out the best ways to look after their own documents to avoid any need of help from the record office's conservation lab.

The office houses an incredible pictorial library which includes family photos taken from the albums of thousands of local families, and events recorded in various towns in Greater Manchester.

There is an index to a range of Bolton photographs, including a photograph of a Bolton Evening News delivery van in Chadwick Street in 1949, a Holy Trinity Church sermons' day procession from 1880 and a photograph of the old Bolton Royal Infirmary.

The office provides a valuable service to a range of people from the general public to the police and if you want to find out more go along tomorrow between 10am and 4pm. Admission is free and there is disabled access.

There is no need to book for tomorrow's open day but if you want to use the service on another day, particularly if you are wanting to trace your family tree, and use the births, deaths and marriages on the microfiche readers, you are asked to give the office a ring on 0161 832 5284 to book an appointment.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the New Cross area of Manchester the record office is to the east of Manchester and easily accessible by car, train or bus. There is plenty of parking nearby, it's a 20 minute walk from Piccadilly Station and a 10 minute walk from Victoria Station. Marshall Street is off Rochdale Road.