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From the WDYTYA magazine website:
A brand new archive centre has opened in East Sussex, giving family historians access to thousands of historic documents from across the county.
The Keep, situated in Moulsecoomb, brings together the collections of the former East Sussex Record Office (ESRO), plus holdings belonging to Brighton and Hove City Council and the University of Sussex.
Built at a cost of £19 million, the unveiling of the facility comes seven years after an inspection carried out by The National Archives deemed the former ESRO site in Lewes inadequate for storing materials. However, the new building not only contains a series of temperature-controlled strongrooms to ensure records are kept safe, but further improvements such as a large search room, an oral history recording suite and a number of spaces for private study.
Importantly for genealogists, The Keep also contains an area reserved for the Sussex Family History Group (SFHG), where representatives from the society will be present during opening hours.
“We’ve got a three-way role here,” said the SFHG’s Alison Caffyn when Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine visited The Keep in November. “We’re here to support our members, we’re support to non-members who come in specifically to seek our help, and other visitors to The Keep who may need advice.”
As well as family history records once held at the ESRO, such as parish registers, wills and electoral rolls, researchers may also be able to learn about the lives of kin nationwide through the University of Sussex Special Collections. This includes the Mass Observation Archive, comprising original diaries from the pioneering project, which began in the 1930s as an anthropological study of everyday British life.
Local historians can also access material previously kept at the Brighton History Centre, such as books drawn from its extensive reference library, which are now on open access shelves along with volumes belonging to the other two partners.
Importantly, all archival holdings at The Keep can be booked in advance through an online catalogue at http://www.thekeep.info/ which also contains scans of 19th-century tithe maps. With help from volunteers, staff intend to digitise and upload additional records to the website over the next few years.
A brand new archive centre has opened in East Sussex, giving family historians access to thousands of historic documents from across the county.
The Keep, situated in Moulsecoomb, brings together the collections of the former East Sussex Record Office (ESRO), plus holdings belonging to Brighton and Hove City Council and the University of Sussex.
Built at a cost of £19 million, the unveiling of the facility comes seven years after an inspection carried out by The National Archives deemed the former ESRO site in Lewes inadequate for storing materials. However, the new building not only contains a series of temperature-controlled strongrooms to ensure records are kept safe, but further improvements such as a large search room, an oral history recording suite and a number of spaces for private study.
Importantly for genealogists, The Keep also contains an area reserved for the Sussex Family History Group (SFHG), where representatives from the society will be present during opening hours.
“We’ve got a three-way role here,” said the SFHG’s Alison Caffyn when Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine visited The Keep in November. “We’re here to support our members, we’re support to non-members who come in specifically to seek our help, and other visitors to The Keep who may need advice.”
As well as family history records once held at the ESRO, such as parish registers, wills and electoral rolls, researchers may also be able to learn about the lives of kin nationwide through the University of Sussex Special Collections. This includes the Mass Observation Archive, comprising original diaries from the pioneering project, which began in the 1930s as an anthropological study of everyday British life.
Local historians can also access material previously kept at the Brighton History Centre, such as books drawn from its extensive reference library, which are now on open access shelves along with volumes belonging to the other two partners.
Importantly, all archival holdings at The Keep can be booked in advance through an online catalogue at http://www.thekeep.info/ which also contains scans of 19th-century tithe maps. With help from volunteers, staff intend to digitise and upload additional records to the website over the next few years.
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