TO celebrate its 70th anniversary, West Sussex Record Office is turning to new technology to promote some favourite historical treasures. Archivists asked customers, depositors, volunteers, supporters and staff to explore the archives and nominate the document they liked the best.

Posting on a new blog and Facebook page from Sussex Day the 70 most-loved records will give an insight into the broad and colourful history of the county, celebrating the collections the Record Office has been caring for over the past 70 years. Each has its own story to tell and each illuminating a very different aspect of the archives.

Set up in 1946, the Record Office was originally based at County Hall, in Chichester, before moving to Edes House in 1968 to accommodate the growing collections.

In 1989, a new purpose-built office was opened in Orchard Street where it houses over eight miles of archives dating back more than 1,200 years.

Today the rich and varied collections include the county’s great estates, The Royal Sussex Regiment, the cathedral and diocese – plus church and chapel records, along with towns and villages, businesses and schools.

The archives sit alongside the records of hospitals and courts, organisations and societies, personal and family papers, as well the county council’s own archives. Together they tell the remarkable story of West Sussex and its people from the earliest written record to the present day.

Later this year, an open day at the Record Office, which will give visitors an opportunity to meet staff, find out more about their work, and explore behind the scenes. Find the blog at www.westsussexrecordoffice.wordpress.com or WSRO’s Facebook page.

There will also be a free booklet published featuring the 70 documents chosen to mark the anniversary. Copies will also be available in local libraries.