West Sussex Record Office
What's on at the Record Office
Find out about events coming up at the Record Office.
Tell me moreWe hold regular evening talks on Tuesdays and family history workshops on the first Wednesday of each month.
About our events
Talks on Tuesday
'Talks on Tuesday' cover a wide range of fascinating subjects presented by our experts. All talks start at 7.00pm and last 1 to 2 hours, including refreshments. Tickets cost £8.00 (non-refundable) for each talk and must be booked in advance from the Record Office.
See below for our current scheduled talks.
Coffee Time Workshops
Do you want to research your family tree but don’t know where to start? Would you like to research the history of your house or learn how to read old handwriting? If so, sign up for our coffee time workshops.
On the first Wednesday of each month, our special mid-morning sessions will give you the opportunity to learn from the experts in a relaxed atmosphere.
We will introduce you to the incredible range of archive material available at the Record Office - dating from 780 AD to the present day - and how best to use the sources for research.
At West Sussex Record Office you can be assured of a warm welcome from our friendly and knowledgeable staff. We hope you will join us, whether it's for one session or all of them!
See below for our current scheduled workshops.
Talks on Tuesday
‘SNAPS in Sussex’: The photographs of John Smith (1852-1925)
Illustrated talk by Nichola Court.
A Croydon builder by trade, John Smith was President of the South Norwood Amateur Photographic Society (SNAPS) and hosted fellow members at the family home in Fittleworth for its annual excursion to West Sussex, during the first years of the 20th century. This illustrated talk explores the rich archive of this accomplished and prolific amateur photographer, showcasing its social and historical content, as well as its many local views.
Date: This event was scheduled for Tuesday 28 April 2020 but has been postponed due to the temporary closure of the Record Office. Ticket holders will be contacted by telephone. We hope to reschedule the event and will invite customers to hold their booking. They will be contacted when the event is rescheduled or if we are unable to provide a new date. Refunds can be provided for events that have been cancelled or postponed.
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Battle over West Sussex
Andy Saunders' talk will explore the story of the Battle of Britain as it was fought over West Sussex, looking at specific events and incidents and telling the story of individual episodes of courage and drama.
Dozens of incidents will be brought to life in this illustrated talk marking the 80th anniversary of the battle and will particularly emphasise the human stories behind these episodes - including the story of participants, survivors and local civilians who were caught up in the dramatic events of 1940.
Andy Saunders is a freelance writer and researcher specialising in military aviation history, especially the Battle of Britain and Blitz period. He is the author of over 25 published books, with more writing projects currently underway.
He is a regular contributor to the aviation press and news media on a worldwide basis and is frequently an adviser for TV and film productions and regularly appears as a contributor for various documentary programmes.
He has recently worked on programmes such as ‘Guy Martin’s Spitfire’, ‘Digging the Great Escape’, ‘RAF 100 with Ewan McGregor’ and is currently working for Netflix on a 12 x part documentary project.
He was a founder and the first Curator of Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, currently the most successful independent aviation museum in the country.
He was the editor of the leading military history magazine ‘Britain at War’ for several years and currently edits an innovative new German military history magazine ‘Iron Cross’.
Date: Tuesday 29 September 2020
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Coffee time workshops
Researching the history of your house
Date: This event was due to be held on Wednesday 6 May 2020 but has been postponed due to the temporary closure of the Record Office. The new date is Wednesday 7 October 2020. Any customers who booked for the original date will be contacted by telephone and offered places for the new date. Refunds can be provided for events that have been cancelled or postponed.
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Newspapers for family and local history
Date: Wednesday 3 June 2020
Time: 10.00am
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Tracing your army ancestors
Date: Wednesday 1 July 2020
Time: 10.00am
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Getting started with Ancestry.co.uk
This workshop will incorporate a practical, hands-on computer session, giving you the chance to try out this popular website under our guidance.
Date: Wednesday 2 September 2020
Time: 10.00am
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Researching the history of your house
Date: Wednesday 7 October 2020
Time: 10.00am
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Reading old handwriting
Date: Wednesday 4 November 2020
Time: 10.00am
Tickets: £7.50 (non-refundable) - book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Record Office friends
A regular programme of events is also organised by the West Sussex Archives Society. For more information, visit their website.
Contact details
- Email record.office@westsussex.gov.uk
- Tel: 01243 753602
- Fax: 01243 533959
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Address
3 Orchard Street, Chichester, PO19 1DD -
Additional information
Our address for correspondence is: County Archivist, West Sussex Record Office, County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RN
Find us
By car
We are based in the heart of Chichester, very near to County Hall. The A27 trunk road runs through Chichester for links to Brighton and Portsmouth, while links to London are provided by the A23 and A24. Chichester is approached from the north via the A286 from Midhurst; and the A285 from Petworth.
By train
We are about a 10 minute walk from Chichester train station, which is served by a regular train service from London Victoria. There are also services from Brighton and Portsmouth.
By bus
The closest bus stops are at Orchard Street, West Street (Cathedral) and Avenue de Chartres.