Celebrating our collections dating from 780AD to the present day
Kate Mosse, novelist, playwright and researcher I first hit the Archive in 2013, researching for my Gothic thriller - The Taxidermist's Daughter - which is set in Fishbourne and Chichester in 1912. I needed maps, I needed information, but I mostly needed to connect with the texture of the period. I love research, so I pored…
Continue reading ➞ Potter’s Museum of Curiosity, 1977 (Lib 12426)
Chosen by Richard Plowman and Barry Aldridge on behalf of The Murray Club Lord Nelson sent a letter to the then Captain George Murray on 13 April 1803 telling him he was ‘fixed as fate’ his first Captain, with the original intention that Murray should be Captain of the Victory. In the event Murray…
Continue reading ➞ Letter from Nelson to Murray, 1803 (AM 760/1/134/3)
Chosen by John Godfrey, researcher In light of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday this year, a Loyal Address was delivered by the Lord Lieutenant on behalf of the people of West Sussex. Celebrating the many occasions The Queen has visited the county, the book highlights her connection to West Sussex through the decades of…
Continue reading ➞ The Queen visits Chichester, West Sussex Gazette, 3/4/1986
Chosen by Ine Van Dooren of Screen Archive South East (http://about.brighton.ac.uk/screenarchive/) In 1995 my life changed. I was appointed Moving Image Archivist for the South East Film & Video Archive, now called Screen Archive South East. I got some of my belongings in a car and moved from…
Continue reading ➞ ‘Shippam’s Guide to Opera’, 1955 (SASE 3266)
Lesley Sim, Information Services Manager, West Sussex County Council Eric Gill was a prolific artist: a sculptor, engraver, calligrapher, draughtsman and writer. Although he is often associated with the village of Ditchling in East Sussex, he had a strong connection to Chichester, moving here with his family in 1897; he lived at 2 North Walls…
Continue reading ➞ Eric Gill’s ‘London box’, c1940 (Eric Gill 353)
Chosen by Anthony Cane, Chancellor of Chichester Cathedral The Archive of the Cathedral and Diocese of Chichester, dating back over 1200 years, is a rich and varied collection. The action of the Dean and Chapter of Chichester in depositing its archives in the Diocesan Record Office followed the establishment of that Office by the…
Chosen by Clare Snoad, member of staff The 2nd Battalion of The Royal Sussex Regiment fought throughout World War 1 on the Western Front, and in the autumn of 1916 took part in the Battle of the Somme. This signal flag was used by them during that time and it’s surprising it survived and is…
Chosen by Ellen Butler (nee Reed), former Shippam's employee Shippam’s is perhaps West Sussex’s most famous business. Established in 1751 as provision merchants, by the 1850s the company was known internationally for its sausages and cured meats, all produced in-house. Advances in technology saw the company move into the preserved goods market at the end…
Continue reading ➞ Shippam’s filling room, c.1954 (Shippams 4/9/2)
West Sussex Record Office 