Friends of The Keep Archives
  • Welcome
  • News & Events
  • Acquisitions
  • About
  • Join Us
  • Contact

About The Keep

The Keep Archive Centre

The Keep is a world class centre for archives giving access to all the collections of the East Sussex County Record Office, the Royal Pavilion & Museums local history archives and audio collection and the University of Sussex special collections.

The combined collections provide a record of the region's history, dating back over 900 years.  The Keep also houses the Sussex Family History Group library and the Historic Environment Record database, which records sites, finds and monuments from prehistory to modern times.

Facilities

Reference Room
In this room, which is available to everyone, you will find the reference library, including trade and street directories, microfilms and fiche and East Sussex baptism index cards.  You can also use online reference material and view digital images of some of our popular resources.

Reading Room
To access this room you must have a Reader's Card.  In here you can consult original documents and maps ordered from the strong room.

Group Work Room
This room can be booked in advance by groups wishing to use documents from the Reading Room.

Computer and Internet Access
There is free wi-fi available for use with your own laptop or tablet; all desks have power points for laptops.  Desktop computers with internet access are also available in the Reference and Reading Rooms.  You can consultour online catalogue plus other useful websites such as Ancestry, Find My Past and The British Library Newspaper Archive.
Picture
Download pdf

Planning Your Visit

Visit The Keep website.  Here you can consult the new electronic archive catalogue which provides access to the wealth of material in the collections. 

If you are a first time visitor we stongly recommend that you register online for a Reader's Card prior to your visit.  You will need identification (e.g. passport, driving licence, utility bill or bank statement) to collect your Reader's Card.

If you are ordering items to be consulted in the Reading Room, you will need to book a place - you can do this online or by telephone or email.

The Keep Collections

Links to some popular themes in The Keep Collections you may like to explore further:

The Arts

Picture
Performance, Art and Literature - a fascinating range of documents relating to performance, art and literature, which illustrate the richness of cultural life in the county and beyond.
Keep discovering >

Family History

Picture
Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce & Relationships - a very wide range of documents relating to birth, marriage, death, divorce and relationships of the people of East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and beyond.
Keep discovering >

Bloomsbury

Picture
The Bloomsbury Archives - unrivalled in the detail they provide of the lives of two key contributors to the activities of the Bloomsbury Group and, indeed, to twentieth-century literature and politics.
Keep discovering >

Politics

Picture
Politics & Popular Protest - a wide range of material relating to politics and popular protest, within the county and its towns, and also nationally and internationally.
Keep discovering >

< Take me back

[keep] history alive [keep] discovering [keep] being amazed [keep] searching [keep] solving mysteries [keep] smiling [keep] observing 
Contact Us
​Registered Charity 1159372
FoTKA
Membership
Fundraising
Get In Touch
About The Charity
A Short History
Trustees
The Keep
Acquisitions
​Accessions 2017-18
Accessions 2016-17
​Accessions 2014-16
News & Events
FoTKA Visits
Newsletters
​Newsletter Archive
Picture
Picture

Website Polices: Privacy | Terms of Use | Cookies | Disclaimer
by SplashPages ​v6.1 Copyright 2016-2023
© All rights reserved​
​Stock images courtesy of Prexels
Picture
  • Welcome
  • News & Events
  • Acquisitions
  • About
  • Join Us
  • Contact