West Sussex Record Office was set up in 1946 to collect, preserve and provide public access to the archives of West Sussex. We hold archives from 780AD to the present day for local councils, churches, schools, police, courts, hospitals, businesses, groups and societies, families, landed estates (including Goodwood, Cowdray, Parham, Petworth, Standen and Wiston), the Diocese of Chichester and the Royal Sussex Regiment.

We also provide a Records Management Service for our parent organisation, West Sussex County Council, managing the modern records of the Council and its departments.

The Record Office is an Accredited Archive Service, governed by a statutory framework and delivered in accordance with national professional standards. It is approved as a Place of Deposit for Public Records by The National Archives and was designated as the Diocesan Record Office in 1949.

Our Mission Statement is: Your History, Our Future: Heritage Matters.

How we can help

With our vast collection of archives relating to West Sussex, some of which date back over 1,200 years, there are many things you can do:

• trace your family history
• study the history of your house (or any local building)
• discover the history of your local community
• explore old photographs
• research a military ancestor
• uncover information for a school or college project
• carry out research for a book or postgraduate study
• listen to memories of times gone by
• view old film footage of the local area