Celebrating our collections dating from 780AD to the present day
Arguably, the profession of nursing offered the same essential experience for every nurse. Yet, it was the experiences born from a specific place and time which gave each nurse their own unique story, and West Sussex has been home to a number of historically significant institutions. From the medieval hospitality of St Mary's Hospital in…
By Katherine Slay, Archives Assistant In our latest blog post, Katherine Slay gives brief stories of three employees of railway companies in the south-east of England, drawing on the information on their railway employee cards. Edwin Charles Cox was born in 1868, and joined the Operating Department of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway in…
Continue reading ➞ The Railway Card Project: C, D and E surname cards – Rising through the ranks
By Alice Millard, Research Assistant Written accounts of serpent-like creatures, often referred to as dragons, appear throughout British history. They’re comparable to today’s sensationalist news stories about spooky big cat sightings. Both are creatures who normally cannot be accurately described - yet people have attempted to convince others of the existence of monsters for millennia.…
Continue reading ➞ The monstrous serpent of St Leonard’s Forest
The 1920s and 1930s saw a huge advancement in flight engineering. With that, aviation mania swept Europe and America. Usually thought of as a male pursuit, flying planes quickly garnered fresh attention from the media as increasing numbers of women took to the skies. Amy Johnson and Amelia Earhart were just two of a number…
Traditionally, the festive period extended several days beyond the New Year, yet for many that practice has declined and most of us have taken down the Christmas tree and weaned ourselves off the leftovers by then. I’ve recently learnt of an ancient custom that took place in the depths of West Sussex between Twelfth Night…
Continue reading ➞ Apple Howling, or how to serenade an orchard
West Sussex Record Office 