The FHT is principally an online archive of items in public and private collections around the world. The majority of the artefacts shown will therefore not be stored in one central location. However, the Trust will store details of the geographical whereabouts of each item and so it may be possible to arrange physical access at the discretion of the FHT Trustees and the owner, or alternately to forward details of public collections where items may be physically accessible by agreement with them.

The Falconry Heritage Trust is primarily concerned with protecting cultural heritage for future generations. However, in the UK there are a number of clubs that can give you more information about the modern sport of falconry and, if appropriate, guide you along the route to becoming a falconer. Visit the Hawk Board and Campaign for Falconry website at http://www.hawkboard-cff.org.uk for a list of UK falconry clubs and further information about the sport including guidelines on keeping birds of prey. Most other countries where falconry is practiced have their own falconry organisations and legislation relating to the sport.

By forging links between interested parties, the FHT will ensure that artefacts including oral and documentary information, images and physical objects relevant to falconry are identified, located and recorded so that they can never become lost. Artefacts will be accessible to falconers and others through an electronic archive so that, wherever they are located, all are able to enjoy them.

We hope that, ultimately, our online archive will be the first port of call for anyone researching falconry's history. It should allow academic researchers to access a wealth of documents and images about the sport through one portal. One of the major strengths of our archive is that it facilitates searches for information based on country of origin, historical period, species of hawk, type of artefact or a combination of these. Therefore, someone wishing to research seventeenth century Japanese falconry furniture, for instance, will be able to narrow down their search for information. In addition, access to the archive for academic researchers will, in most cases, be free of charge and will greatly reduce the time and travelling research might otherwise involve.

The Falconry Heritage Trust is dedicated to conserving falconry's cultural heritage. It aims to link the international falconry community, national archives and collections, private collectors and academics to ensure that items and information related to the sport's global history are protected for future generations.

Access to the Falconry Heritage Trust website will be free of charge. However, a number of important considerations will govern individual cases where downloading and using archive material is concerned. It may be possible to use items where the FHT holds copyright in return for a fee which the Trust will put back into its maintenance purposes. Items which are out of copyright may still attract a usage charge or subscription where they appear on the FHT archive but physically belong to other collections. Please contact us for advice on individual requirements.