West Sussex Record Office
What's on at the Record Office
3 Orchard Street, Chichester, PO19 1DD
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.
Contact details
- Email record.office@westsussex.gov.uk
- Tel: 01243 753602
- Fax: 01243 533959
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Address3 Orchard Street, Chichester, PO19 1DD
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Additional informationOur 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.
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
Our Coffee Time Workshops are perfect if you want to research your family tree but don't know where to start. It doesn't matter if you are new to the subject, unsure of computers, or if you want to look beyond the obvious sources, you will be introduced to the incredible range of archive material available at the Record Office.
Each session costs £7.50 (tickets non-refundable) and places are limited. To book a place on any of the sessions please contact us. Workshops are subject to last-minute cancellation if there are insufficient bookings (we will notify you of any change at least the day before).
See below for our current scheduled workshops.
Special events
From open days to exhibitions, you will find details of any special events we are hosting here.
Talks on Tuesday
Selsey Tram - 'The bumpity bump'
An illustrated talk by Bill Gage.
Date: Tuesday 31 October 2017
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
'Shame, scandal and true love' - the church courts of Chichester
An illustrated talk by Peter Wilkinson.
The talk will provide a fascinating insight into the life, loves and behaviour of everyday people in the early years of the 17th century.
Based on the church court proceedings in the Diocesan Archives held at West Sussex Record Office, these records provide a vivid and detailed account of cases that were brought to trial in Chichester, many relating to marital disputes and defamation.
Peter's research has also resulted in a book - 'Chichester Archdeaconry Depositions 1603-1608' - published by the Sussex Records Society this year.
Date: Tuesday 28 November 2017
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
‘Learning by Rote’ - Going to school in Victorian West Sussex
An illustrated talk by Ruth Brown.
Date: Tuesday 30 January 2018
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
‘A Slice of Life’ - Exploring the Quarter Sessions records
An illustrated talk by Dr Caroline Adams.
The Quarter Sessions records are a valuable but underused resource for local and family historians. It was in these courts that Justices of the Peace sat in judgement over minor criminal cases - anything from theft and poaching to assault and vagrancy.
And, amongst their many civil responsibilities, the JPs also supervised the poor law, oversaw relationships between apprentices and masters, and licensed alehouses.
The talk will provide an insight into this fascinating material and show how volunteers have helped to open up access to the collection.
Date: Tuesday 27 February 2018
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Stories from the surgeon’s table - Exploring the Queen Victoria Hospital archive
The talk will explore the rich and fascinating archives of the Queen Victoria Hospital at East Grinstead, which have recently been catalogued, conserved and partly digitised through a partnership project led by West Sussex Record Office and funded by the Wellcome Trust.
The archive includes a unique series of records relating to the Guinea Pig Club – Royal Air Force personnel who had been badly burned or injured and who received pioneering treatment under the care of Sir Archibald McIndoe and his team of surgeons.
Date: Tuesday 27 March 2018
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Priory Park 100
By Richard Plowman
Date: Tuesday 24 April 2018
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
‘On The Beat’ – The history and archive of West Sussex Constabulary 1857-1967
An illustrated talk by Holly Wright
Date: Tuesday 26 June 2018
Time: 7.00pm
Tickets: £8.00 (non-refundable) - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Coffee time workshops
Crime and punishment
Date: Wednesday 1 November 2017
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Introduction to family history sources at the Record Office
Date: Wednesday 10 January 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Dating old photographs
Date: Wednesday 7 February 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Beginners guide to Ancestry.co.uk
This workshop will incorporate a practical, hands-on session on the public access computers in the Searchroom, giving you the chance to try out this popular website under our guidance.
Date: Monday 5 March 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Reading old handwriting
Date: Wednesday 4 April 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Researching the history of your house
Date: Wednesday 2 May 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Beginners guide to Findmypast.co.uk
This workshop will incorporate a practical, hands-on session on the public access computers in the Searchroom, giving you the chance to try out this popular website under our guidance.
Date: Monday 4 June 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Discovering wills and other probate records
Date: Wednesday 4 July 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Beginners guide to Ancestry.co.uk
This workshop will incorporate a practical, hands-on session on the public access computers in the Searchroom, giving you the chance to try out this popular website under our guidance.
Date: Monday 3 September 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
‘Granny was a pauper’: exploring poor law records
Date: Wednesday 3 October 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please book in advance by contacting the Record Office.
Reading old handwriting
Date: Wednesday 7 November 2018
Time: 10.00am
Tickets (non-refundable): £7.50 - please 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.