Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities (SIC division 91)
Division 91 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 5 codes, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 91
Museums, 91020, historic sites and visitor attractions, 91030, botanical and zoological gardens, 91040, archives, 91012, and libraries, 91011. What stands out across all five is how few file their code in first position, typically around half or fewer. That is because most of these organisations are charities and trusts whose registered company describes itself more broadly, with the cultural activity listed second or third.
Ticketing and visitor management systems, EPOS and retail for gift shops, exhibition design and fit-out, conservation supplies and specialist insurance all sell into this division. Funding and grant consultants do too. Buying decisions are usually committee-led and tied to funding cycles rather than to anything visible on the public record, so use the public record to find and qualify organisations rather than to time an approach.
How to read a division 91 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 91 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 91 shares those digits: all 5 codes below begin 91, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 91 sits inside section R, arts, entertainment and recreation, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 91 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 91020, museums activities.
Working division 91 as a list
Division 91 holds 5 codes and 5,292 active companies between them. 91020 is the largest at 30 per cent and the top three take 76 per cent, with the rest spread across the remaining 2 codes. That is balanced enough that the division is a reasonable unit to work, though the leading code alone will usually give you a cleaner list.
More on working division 91
A caveat that matters more in some divisions than others: a company may register up to four SIC codes, and the figures below count every position, not just the first. A business filed under two codes in this division appears under both. Treat the totals as reach rather than a headcount, and if you need a clean list, filter to companies whose FIRST code sits in the division. Every company you pull carries the Companies House record, the director's name, a verified website and a verified email, and the ones we cannot complete are not charged.
Every SIC code in division 91
Prospecting this division
Division 91 companies, as leads
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Division 91 questions
Why do so few museums list 91020 as their first SIC code?
Because the registered entity is usually a charitable company whose objects are broader than running a museum. The first code often describes the charity in general terms and the museum activity appears second. If you want the real population, match on any of the four SIC positions rather than the first.
Are local authority museums and libraries on the Companies House register?
Not as such. Council-run services sit inside the local authority, which is not a registered company. What you will find are the charitable trusts that many councils created to run their cultural services, and independent organisations. Expect the public record to show a meaningful part of the sector rather than all of it.
Find companies across division 91
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