West Sussex Record Office

West Sussex Record Office
Name	West Sussex Record Office
Established	1947
Location	Chichester, West Sussex
Type	County archive
Holdings	Parish registers; maps; estate records; personal papers

West Sussex Record Office is the principal archive for the county of West Sussex, holding the repositories of local administration, landed estates, ecclesiastical parishes and private families. The office preserves manuscripts, maps, photographs and audiovisual material relating to towns such as Chichester, Worthing, Horsham and Crawley and to estates including Goodwood House, Petworth House, Arundel Castle and Pallant House. Researchers consult collections connected to figures such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, Virginia Woolf, Winston Churchill, T. S. Eliot and Edward VII, alongside records associated with institutions like Chichester Cathedral, Brighton Pavilion, West Dean College and Midhurst Rother College.

History

The archive traces its origins to post-World War II efforts to safeguard county records, following precedents set by Norfolk Record Office, Surrey History Centre and Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies. Early custodians worked with solicitors, clergy and estate agents from estates such as Petworth House and families like the Percy family and the Fitzalan-Howard family to transfer documents. The office developed cataloguing standards influenced by practices at The National Archives (United Kingdom), Bodleian Libraries and British Library, and engaged in partnerships with regional bodies including West Sussex County Council, South Downs National Park Authority and the Sussex Archaeological Society.

Collections and holdings

Holdings encompass parish registers for parishes such as St Andrew's Church, Arundel, school logbooks from institutions like Christ's Hospital, and manorial records for places including Midhurst and Steyning. Estate archives include material from Goodwood House, Petworth House and the papers of families such as the Bennet family and the Lloyd family. Business records cover companies including John Appleby & Sons, Southdown Motor Services and railway archives connected to London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and Southern Railway (UK). Military collections relate to units like the Royal Sussex Regiment, Arundel Castle Yeomanry and wartime civil defence records tied to Operation Overlord logistics and Home Guard activities. Cartographic holdings feature Ordnance Survey maps, tithe maps and estate plans linked to surveyors such as William Mudge and John Rocque. Personal papers include correspondence of intellectuals and artists associated with Charleston Farmhouse, Ashdown House, Glyndebourne and writers like Elizabeth Taylor (novelist) and Hilaire Belloc.

Services and access

Reference services support inquiries from local historians, family historians and academic researchers, including those working on projects relating to University of Sussex, University of Brighton and Open University theses. The office provides access to digitised registers used by genealogists researching connections to families recorded in Census of the United Kingdom returns and civil registration indexes. Copying, licensing and research services liaise with cultural institutions such as V&A, Imperial War Museums and National Trust, while staff collaborate with professional networks like the Archives and Records Association and the Federation of Family History Societies for best practice in records management and data protection under acts such as the Data Protection Act 2018.

Facilities and digitisation

The archive maintains climate-controlled strongrooms and a public searchroom equipped for consultation of original items and microfilm collections from series like Public Record Office microfilming programmes. Digitisation initiatives have produced online access to selected parish registers, trade directories and photographic collections, supported by partnerships with The National Archives (United Kingdom), Ancestry.com and volunteer groups associated with FamilySearch. Conservation workshops undertake paper repair and binding following standards promulgated by ICON (Institute of Conservation) and coordinate with digitisation projects funded by bodies such as National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.

Outreach and education

Outreach includes talks, exhibitions and school programmes linked to curricula at local schools including Chichester High School, Worthing High School and heritage education at sites like Arundel Castle and Goodwood House. Collaborative exhibitions have been mounted with Sussex Archaeological Society, West Dean College and Pallant House Gallery, and public events tie into anniversaries of events like the Battle of Britain, the Great War centenary commemorations and local festivals such as Chichester Festival Theatre seasons. Volunteer transcription projects support community history initiatives and family history societies such as Sussex Family History Group and West Sussex Family History Society.

Governance and funding

Governance falls under the auspices of West Sussex County Council with advisory input from stakeholders including representatives of Chichester Cathedral, National Trust, Historic England and academic partners such as University of Sussex and University of Brighton. Funding streams combine local authority budgets, grants from National Lottery Heritage Fund, project funding from Arts Council England and donations administered through trusts like Wolfson Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation. Fees for services, copyright licensing and collaborative revenue from digitisation agreements contribute to operational sustainability alongside volunteer support coordinated with organisations such as Volunteer Centre Arun.

Category:Archives in West Sussex