By Nick Corbo-Stewart, Volunteer Coordinator & Archivist
In the week that celebrates and recognises the contributions of volunteers around the country, we at the West Sussex Record Office (WSRO) would like to thank all our volunteers from the local community who continue to make a positive contribution towards the services WSRO provides.
Our volunteers come from a wide range of backgrounds and locations to give their time to support WSRO. Throughout 2025-2026, they have continued working on numerous historic collections, which span a range of different topics, and their invaluable efforts mean that even more records are now available for researchers to consult. This year, we feature some examples of the smaller collections our volunteers’ have worked upon which include:
- The Signal Office Diary of RAF Truleigh Hill, Stoney Lane, Shoreham (AM 1858), with entries dated 10th November 1953 to 13th February 1954. It is a record of everyday operations of the station it served, an environment where communication of accurate information was vital. Over the course of day, many contributors added to this volume. It reflects an extremely busy, alert environment, with the underlying tension of always having to watch the skies.
- A Draft edition map of Chichester, 1973 (PM 1318), published by the Ordnance Survey (OS), the national mapping agency for Great Britain, headquartered in Southampton. PM 1318 is sheet number 317 and consists of a single, folded sheet. Printed upon it is an introductory description, index, section and colour scaled map. Most of the item is taken up by the Drift map, depicting distribution of sediments like glacial, fluvial and marine deposits, on a scale of one inch to one mile. A kaleidoscope of bright vivid colours, it shows what is hidden just below the surface of the ground.
- A photograph of Gatwick Airport (PH 32560), an aerial view taken from the south. It shows construction around the airfield during 29th May 1957. Visible are the taxiways and runway, surrounded by a patchwork of fields and smaller settlements. To the south are the suburbs of north Crawley and what was left of the settlement of Gatwick itself. To the east can be seen the London to Brighton railway line, providing main access to the airport. Overall, the photograph highlights the openness and space of the site, ideal for the up-and-coming jet age, a stark contrast to the modern day terminals and M23 link road, which were later 20th century additions.
- A collection of material describing the replacement of the Charles I bust on the Market Cross, Chichester (AM 1924) by sculptor Derek Rollings who was commissioned to make a replica. This was made with fibreglass and substituted for the original, which now resides in the Novium Museum, Chichester. This collection gives us a glimpse of Derek Rollings’ work through contemporary photographs and correspondence.
- A customer order/account book for F Hodges, Cash Stores of East Preston and Angmering, 1900 (AM 1839), belonging to a customer, J E Heaseman. Inside, it lists items purchased. This book reveals a great deal about how we used to live at the time, showing the basic staples of people’s diet, what was needed to look after the home and the relatively low cost of some purchases. Compared to current times, it shows how restricted your retail choices were and how much a modest income could purchase.
- A collection of sales particulars, reservation forms, publicity material and photographs of housing at Grove Park Estate, Chichester (AM 1893). This site, along with many others, marked a new age in post-war development, with the construction of well-designed, light filled, easy living dwellings right across the country. Built in the 1960s on land next to the Fishbourne Road on the outskirts of Chichester, these 27 homes were constructed by the developers Brittonvil Property Company Limited of Maidenhead.
In addition, volunteers continue to add regularly to our manuscript, local government, parish, non-conformist, map, photographic and plan catalogues.
WSRO is proud to engage with the community by providing opportunities for all of our volunteers to learn new skills in research, transcription, listing, sorting, packaging, information technology, data manipulation and document handling. It is also a place to meet other volunteers and members of staff who share the same passion for the care and development of our archive.
The volunteers’ invaluable support helps the Record Office to open up new and exciting collections to of all our visitors and those accessing our services remotely.
⭐ We at the Record Office would like to say a big thank you to our volunteers for continuing to work before, during and beyond this National Volunteer Week. ⭐
Stay up-to-date with us on social media:
