Local History Files
Local History files can be found in all West Sussex libraries. They are collections of articles, book extracts, maps, photographs and ephemera relating to particular places or topics. They are usually located in the Local Information section of the library.
The following list shows the files kept in each library:
Angmering
Angmering (2 volumes)
Arundel
Arundel (5 volumes) Ford
Billingshurst
Archaeology Billingshurst 1986 Domesday Project Billingshurst area historical maps Billingshurst Village Appraisal 1976 Buildings Canadians 1939-1945 Development after 1945 Directories Education Folklore General history to 1945 Frank Patterson Kirdford Loxwood People Plaistow Population Religion Transport Wey & Arun Canal Wisborough Green
Bognor Regis
Aldingbourne Aldwick Barnham Birdman Rally
October 2006 Buildings 'Bygone Bognor/'Remember When' articles
Chichester Harbour Clowns Convention Coast & sea defences Coats of arms Development since 1945 Eastergate Entertainment Felpham & Flansham Fires & fire brigade Fishing Fontwell Ford General history to 1945 Geology & natural history Ghosts Graves index Industry Local government Merston Middleton-on-Sea North & South Bersted Nyetimber People Police & crime Postal service Public utilities (electricity - gas & water) Roads and streets Rose Green & Pagham Schools Shops Shripney Societies and organisations Sport Tourism Walberton Wartime Bognor 1939-1945 Weather Westergate Woodgate Yapton Zoo
October 2006 Broadfield
Crawley New Town Documents at West Sussex Record Office (2 vols) Excavations Gatwick Airport History of Crawley New Town (2 vols) History of the Wealden Iron Industry and Broadfield Archaeological Old Crawley (2 vols) Wartime Crawley 1939-1945
Burgess Hill Burgess Hill in the nineteenth century Great Storm 1987 History and development of Burgess Hill (7 volumes) West Sussex Canals and Rivers
Chichester
18th & 19th Century Views of Chichester Archaeology Bishops of Chichester Buildings (2 vols) Castles in Sussex Cathedral & religion in Chichester Chichester and district at war 1939-1945 (2 vols) Chichester and the Civil War Chichester area natural history Clubs & societies Coastal erosion in the Chichester area Development in Chichester Directories 1832-99 Education Entertainment & leisure Floods Goodwood Gravel extraction in the Chichester area Great Storm 16th October 1987 Harbour (2 vols) Health & hospitals Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) History of Chichester for young people Industries Libraries Local government in Chichester Medieval Chichester 1066-1500 People
October 2006 Prehistoric Chichester Prints & engravings Roman Chichester Saxon Chichester 477-1066 Shelley & West Sussex (2 vols) Shops & shopping South Downs National Park Transport West Sussex rivers & canals
Crawley
Buildings Castles in West Sussex Catalogue of the Horsham Museum Manuscripts Crawley Down and Turners Hill Crawley Industrial Estate Crawley New Town Crawley New Town Newspaper articles 1945 –1947 The Crawley Story – By R.C. Elliott Directories (2 vols) Doctors 1731 –1862 by T.H. Martin Documents from West Sussex Record Office (2 vols) Down Memory Lane & Yesterday’s Child – Personal account Gatwick Airport Great Storm 16th October 1987 Kelly’s and other directories covering Crawley, Ifield and Worth Ledger 1861 – 1871 John Cheal – Farmer Lowfield Heath Maps Neighbourhoods Old Crawley Old Ifield Personalities St Nicholas, Worth - Inscriptions Tithe Map Schedules – Crawley, Ifield and Worth Wartime Crawley 1939 –1945 Weekly labour account 1847 – 8 John Cheal – Farmer Lowfield Heath West Sussex Rivers and Canals (3 vols) Worth, Three Bridges and Pound Hill
Durrington
Broadwater Cissbury Ring Durrington in photographs Findon Village and Cissbury
October 2006 Highdown West Tarring
East Grinstead
Ashurst Wood Buildings and estates Crawley Down Development post 1945 Directories Education Entertainment Forest Row Hartfield High Street History to 1945 Hospitals & health Industry & shops Libraries Local government & services Natural history Organisations People Religion Roads and streets Sport Transport Turners Hill
East Preston
Directories 1855-1938 East Preston and Kingston in the 20th Century East Preston Workhouse Photographs
Findon Valley
Chanctonbury Ring Cissbury Ring Findon Highdown
October 2006 Goring
Goring Highdown West Tarring
Hassocks
Brighton (Railway) Line Clayton Ditchling Hassocks & Keymer (2 vols) Sussex Windmills
Haywards Heath
Lindfield Mid Sussex Several files on Haywards Heath topics
Henfield
Henfield Villages around Henfield
Horsham
Buildings & estates/parks Business & industry Churches Country parks & forests around Horsham Development since 1945 Entertainment Environment Hilaire Belloc 1870-1953 History to 1939 Geology/geography/prehistory Hospitals & health Libraries Local government & services Maps Natural history
October 2006 Organisations People Roads & streets Royalty Schools Shelley Shops & shopping Sport & leisure Town Centre development Transport Twinning Villages Weather & natural disasters World Wars I & II
Hurstpierpoint
History (3 vols) Hurstpierpoint guides People
Lancing Lancing & Sompting Shoreham Harbour
Littlehampton
Beach & rivers Buildings Churches Climate Development post 1945 Directories 1828-1938 History to 1945 Industry Littlehampton (3 vols) Local government & services Organisations People Schools Shopping Sport & entertainment Transport
October 2006 Midhurst
Development post 1945 Directories General history Local government & services Library service Maps Midhurst directory extracts 1832-1938 Mills Population People Religion Schools Sport & entertainment Surrounding villages Trade & industry Transport Victorian census returns Workhouse & poverty
Petworth
Beham Burton Development post 1945 Directories Duncton Ebernoe General history Graffham Library service Local government & services Maps Mills population People Religion Schools Sport & entertainment Tillington Trade & industry Transport workhouse & poverty
October 2006 Pulborough
History (2 vols) Pulborough in 1965 Pulborough in living memory Pulborough scrapbook St Mary's Primary School
Rustington
Buildings Directories 1855-1938 Development Education History Miscellaneous Religion
Selsey
Chichester floods Chichester Harbour (2 vols) Selsey (2 vols) Selsey tornado
Shoreham
Airport (3 vols) Bridges Buildings (2 vols) Bungalow Town & Houseboats Businesses Crime & Policing Development Entertainment Great Storm 16th October 1987 History 1066-1939 Libraries Lifeboats, lighthouses & coastguards Live animal escorts Maps People Religion Roads & streets
October 2006 Ropetackle Site Shoreham Harbour Shoreham Harbour industries Societies, organisations & youth issues Sport & recreation World Wars 1 &2
Southbourne Chichester Harbour (2 vols) Southbourne (2 vols)
Southwater
File in progress
Steyning
Steyning
Storrington
Development post 1945 Directories General history Local government & services Library service Maps Mills People Population Religion Schools Sport & entertainment Trade & industry Transport Workhouse & poverty
October 2006 Willowhale
Aldwick Bygone Bognor (2 vols) Nyetimber Rose Green & Pagham
Witterings
Chichester Harbour (2 vols) Witterings (2 vols)
Worthing
Broadwater Castles in West Sussex Chanctonbury Ring Cissbury Ring Durrington & Salvington Durrington photographs East Grinstead buildings index Findon Village & Cissbury Ford Goring Great Storm 16th October 1987 Heene Highdown Hilaire Belloc 1870-1953 History of Pulborough (2 vols) Introduction to the history of Lancing & Sompting Introduction to the history of music in Worthing Introduction to the history of Pulborough (3 vols) Introduction to the history of Pulborough and Billingshurst Introduction to the history of Pulborough in 1965 Introduction to the history of Salvation Army in Worthing Introduction to the history of Shoreham Introduction to the history of St Mary’s Primary School Introduction to the history of West Tarring Introduction to the history of WH Hudson and Worthing Introduction to the history of Worthing Pier and Band Enclosure Introduction to the history of Worthing Town Hall Lancing & Shoreham Park Crescent, Worthing (2 vols) Places of Worship (3 vols) Salvation Army Riots in Worthing 1884 Selden & Shelley
October 2006 Shelley West Sussex (2 vols) Shoreham Shoreham Harbour The Dome, Worthing Transport in Worthing Typhoid Epidemic (2 vols) Upper Beeding Cement Works Village in living memory: introduction to the history of Pulborough (3 vols) Village scrapbook Wartime Worthing Wartime Worthing 1939-45 evacuees West Sussex coastal erosion (2 vols) West Sussex rivers & canals (3 vols) Worthing memorials
October 2006