By Nick Corbo-Stewart, Archivist and Volunteer Coordinator
In this series of blogs looking at new collections at West Sussex Record Office (WSRO), I will continue to guide you, the reader, through the variety of work undertaken by the volunteers. Through a culmination of sorting, listing, ordering, cataloguing and packaging, their completed collections are now open for use by our researchers with the ability to inform and educate all who have an interest in the history of West Sussex. In this blog edition, we focus on three more collections:
Cecil George (C G) Stillman, County Architect of West Sussex
Collection reference: AM 1979
C G Stillman was an influential British modernist architect. He worked for Sussex County Council between 1932 and 1945. His projects included designing municipal buildings around West Sussex and for neighbouring counties in the post war period.
This collection features a series of papers which relate to his employment with local authorities. Items include ceremonial programmes for building openings and correspondence associated with his projects, such as the design and construction of West Sussex County Hall and Law Courts, Chichester. A series of photographs illustrate his career in the military during two World Wars and then as an architect. Others capture his attendance at events, where he met various dignitaries such as Edward Heath (later Prime Minister of United Kingdom, 1970-1974) and Florence Horsburgh, Minister of Education, 1951-1954. The collection also includes a copy of his book (co-authored with R Castle Clearly) The Modern School. This volume comes with his own annotations, showcasing his ideas and influence on design and architecture in the mid-20th century.
Find out more about C G Stillman and his design for County Hall in Tim Hudson’s New Chichester Paper, available to purchase through our online shop: County Hall and its Architect C G Stillman – West Sussex Record Office.
Photographs and prints of Burgess Hill
Catalogue reference: PH 32575/1-113
Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, situated to the north of Brighton and south of Haywards Heath. During the 19th century the town was known for its brick and tile production, a large open market and the Victoria Pleasure Gardens. Since the Second World War rapid urban expansion has taken place, with new residential developments changing its historic character. The town is now home to many national and international businesses, and is served by good transport links, such as the A23 road, and the London to Brighton Railway, whose final section was completed nearby in the 19th century.
This collection includes a mixture of colour and black and white images, taken by amateur photographers and professionals, with some reproduced as postcards. They show streets, shopping areas, recreational parks, industrial concerns and residential housing spanning the entirety of the 20th century. They also feature the residents and visitors to the town, including soldiers of two World Wars, local voluntary parades and shoppers. The images present a century of pictorial history, a rural community transforming into a commuter town The capture a town in a continual state of flux as buildings and pleasure parks that were once in use were subsequently demolished or built over.
West Sussex Postal History albums
Catalogue references : MP 9029-MP 9050
Compiled by Alfred Robinson, these albums document comprehensively a history of postal services in West Sussex. Listed in alphabetical order, the albums lead the reader through the history of a selected postal area. They include information about post offices, post boxes, stamps, post marks and employment history. Albums cover locations from Arundel to Bognor Regis, Chichester to Selsey and across the county to Haywards Heath, East Grinstead, Midhurst, Littlehampton and Worthing. This research also extended to East Sussex, featuring the postal service history of Battle and Hastings.
MP 9029 is one such example. It focuses on the area in and around Arundel, including the main Post Office and sub-offices around Tarrant Street, Arundel, with Amberley, Burpham, Fontwell, Ford, Poling Corner, Slindon (Eartham), Tortington, Walberton and Yapton represented. For each, there is a colourful collection of postcards (front and back); stamps (including special events), envelopes, First Day covers, franking stamps, unusual post marks, receipts, photographs, maps, articles, extracts, descriptions, quotes, newspaper cuttings, research and obituaries of the postmen, all annotated by Alfred Robinson.
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