The Keep is a purpose-built
archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
and historical resource centre which stores, conserves and gives the public access to the records of its three managing partners: The East Sussex Record Office, The University of Sussex Special Collections, and the Royal Pavilion and Museums Local History Collections. The Keep also houses the library and office of The Sussex Family History Group, functions as headquarters of Friends of The Keep Archives, and holds the Historic Environment Record database for East Sussex. From November 2018, it has also functioned as the South East Hub for the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project for
The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
. It was funded by
East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex.
East Sussex is divided into five local government districts. Three are larger, rural, districts (from west to east: Lewes; Wealden; and Rother). ...
, the City Council of neighbouring
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
and the University of Sussex, and was built on land close to the university in the
Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb () is a suburb of Brighton, Sussex, England, on the northeast side around Lewes Road, between Coldean and Bevendean, north of the seafront. The eastern edge adjoins Falmer Hill on the South Downs. It is often divided into smalle ...
area of Brighton and Hove. The building, constructed with a budget of £19 million, opened on 31 October 2013, superseding the former East Sussex Record Office in the
county town of
Lewes.
Background
![The Malthouse, Castle Precincts, Lewes, East Sussex - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/The_Malthouse%2C_Castle_Precincts%2C_Lewes%2C_East_Sussex_-_geograph.org.uk_-_969528.jpg)
East Sussex was designated an
administrative county
An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...
in 1865, and in 1889 its
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...
was formed in accordance with the
Local Government Act 1888
Local may refer to:
Geography and transportation
* Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand
* Local, Missouri, a community in the United States
* Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
.
In 1949, the council set up its archive and record office in The Maltings in the county town of
Lewes; they adapted a
Grade II-listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
former
malt house
A malt house, malt barn, or maltings, is a building where cereal grain is converted into malt by soaking it in water, allowing it to sprout and then drying it to stop further growth. The malt is used in brewing beer, whisky and in certain food ...
near
the castle.
Records, documents and objects up to nine centuries old were stored and displayed, such as a letter to the Abbot of
Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours. It is a Scheduled Monument.
The Grade I listed site is now ...
dating from 1101 and bearing
King Henry I's seal.
The building had a document repository, conservation laboratory and facilities for the public to examine certain records.
Following an inspection in 2003,
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
allowed the building to remain in use in the short term as long as a new building was provided;
and after another inspection in 2006 it condemned the building as "not fit for purpose" in relation to how it stored paper and parchment documents. If a better facility could not be provided within the county, The National Archives could have arranged for public records to be moved to a suitable building elsewhere in England and stored there—all at East Sussex County Council's expense—while other records would remain in the Lewes building, where conditions would get worse.
Suggested alternative locations included the
national archive facility at
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
,
and newly built archives in
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...
and
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-ea ...
.
As well as "heavily criticis
ng the facility after this second inspection, The National Archives removed most of the licences allowing the county council to store records there.
Although East Sussex County Council had started investigating alternatives in 1996 and undertook a
feasibility study
A feasibility study is an assessment of the practicality of a project or system. A feasibility study aims to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of an existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats pr ...
in 2004,
the project to create a new archive was formalised in April 2006 after the unfavourable second inspection. Between that date and April 2008, several actions were taken: a committee and project manager were appointed, funding was allocated, documentation was produced, Brighton and Hove City Council and the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
became involved in the process, and a "rigorous site search" was undertaken across the county and the city of Brighton and Hove. Locations at
Woodingdean
Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse. The name Woodingdean came from Woodendean (i.e. wooded valley) Farm which was situ ...
,
Newhaven, Lewes,
Glynde
Glynde is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is located two miles (5 km) east of Lewes.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton ...
and two in the
Falmer
Falmer is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, lying between Brighton and Lewes, approximately five miles (8 km) north-east of the former. It is also the site of Brighton & Hove Albion's Falmer ...
area were examined; one of these was Woollards Field,
just inside the Brighton and Hove city boundary on the edge of the
Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb () is a suburb of Brighton, Sussex, England, on the northeast side around Lewes Road, between Coldean and Bevendean, north of the seafront. The eastern edge adjoins Falmer Hill on the South Downs. It is often divided into smalle ...
housing estate.
Woollards Field was chosen in May 2007.
Woollards Field site
Woollards Field is an area of open space in the northeast of the city of Brighton and Hove, from the city centre. Clockwise from north, it is bounded by the
A27 and A270 roads towards Falmer and Lewes, the
Brighton Aldridge Community Academy
Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) is a coeducational academy school in Brighton. It opened on 1 September 2010.
The school replaced Falmer High School and is part of the Aldridge Education multi-academy trust. Dylan Davies became Bri ...
(formerly
Falmer High School
Falmer High School was a community mixed-sex non-denominational comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Brighton, East Sussex, England. It closed on 31 August 2010 and was replaced by Brighton Aldridge Community Academy on the same ...
), a health club, buildings associated with
Southern Water
Southern Water is the private utility company responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent, and for the public water supply and distribution in approximately ...
and the
University of Brighton
The University of Brighton is a public university based on four campuses in Brighton and Eastbourne on the south coast of England. Its roots can be traced back to 1858 when the Brighton School of Art was opened in the Royal Pavilion. It achiev ...
, the
East Coastway railway line, and the Moulsecoomb housing estate.
It is owned by East Sussex County Council, and is mostly grass with some trees and shrubs. Until 1990 it was used by local schools for sport and recreation, but the site has been unused since then as it was declared "surplus to requirements". A
Tree preservation order
A tree preservation order (TPO) is a part of town and country planning in the United Kingdom. A TPO is made by a local planning authority (usually a local council) to protect specific trees or a particular area, group or woodland from deliberate d ...
for trees on the site was granted in 1974.
The project team selected a
section of the site as the location for the new archive in May 2007.
Woollards Field benefited from having outstanding
planning permission
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...
for development covered by Class B1 of the
UK Property Classification. Permission for such development had first been granted in 1993, and various renewals and changes had since taken place.
In March 2010, the contractors and Brighton & Hove City Council discussed whether to retain all the trees on the site. It was agreed to retain half of the existing trees and to plant a new
copse
Coppicing is a traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down. In a coppiced wood, which is called a copse, young tree stems are repeate ...
at the west end of the site (nearest the Moulsecoomb housing estate), while also reducing the amount of car parking on the site to below the "maximum standard" for a building of its size.
The new copse will be part of a "informal recreation" area which will include some open grassland for public use.
Also, in December 2012 it was stated that a community
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...
would be created on some of the free land which does not form part of the development area.
Falmer railway station is nearby, and new bus stops have been built on both sides of the A270.
Public footpaths and a cycle path will be built through the site to connect it with the Moulsecoomb estate and the adjacent road; this was estimated to cost £33,000.
A 69-space car park and 20-space bicycle park will be provided behind the building. Coach parking facilities will be added on the south side.
Construction
East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council put the scheme out to
competitive tender and commissioned the Kier Southern (Kier Longley) division of
Kier Group
Kier Group plc is a British construction, services and property group active in building and civil engineering, support services, and the Private Finance Initiative.
Founded in 1928 in Stoke-on-Trent it initially specialised in concrete enginee ...
as its preferred building contractor.
Atkins Atkins may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Atkins, Arkansas, a city
* Atkins, Iowa, a city
* Atkins, Louisiana, an unincorporated community
* Atkins, Nebraska, an unincorporated community
* Atkins, Virginia, a census-designated place
* ...
were chosen as the scheme architects;
they have been involved in the design of archive facilities since 1991, including the
Berkshire Record Office and the
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, serves as a focal point for heritage services relating to Wiltshire and Swindon. The centre opened in 2007 and is funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Counc ...
. Both were designed with the principle of keeping the archive storage and the public areas separate while maintaining a consistent architectural style, which was also the intention with The Keep. The provisions of
BS 5454 (the
British Standard
British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The BSI Group produces British Standards under the a ...
consisting of "recommendations for the storage and exhibition of archival documents") and the wishes of The National Archives also influenced the design process.
Other companies involved with the design and construction process included GTA Civils Ltd, who undertook transport and flood risk assessments; Lizard Landscape Design, who were involved with environmental analysis such as landscape assessments, ecological planning,
arboricultural investigation and site photography; Ashdown Site Investigation Ltd, who carried out site contamination analysis; and Archaeology South East (part of the
Institute of Archaeology, University College London), who undertook archaeological investigation at Woollards Field.
The scheme budget was originally set at £23.6 million.
The committee sought
National Lottery money through a bid to the
Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
,
but this was turned down in December 2008.
This created a £4.9 million shortfall, and the budget was later revised to £19 million.
A grant received in respect of installing
photovoltaic electricity generating equipment subsequently increased the available funds to £19,142,000, of which £17,910,000 was allocated to construction and capital expenditure and the remaining £1,232,000 to other costs such as marketing, planning and payments to professionals.
£12 million was provided by East Sussex County Council.
Planning permission
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...
for the development was given on 14 January 2011,
and construction work started on 7 October 2011 after a
turf-cutting ceremony.
Just under a year later, on 1 October 2012, the roof was finished and a
topping out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
ceremony took place. At that time, it was stated that the building was expected to be finished at the end of 2013,
although East Sussex County Council's timeline anticipated completion in early 2013 and a public opening later in the year.
Brighton and Hove City Council stated in March 2013 that the former Brighton History Centre near the
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Princ ...
in the city centre would close on 1 April 2013 to allow about 350,000 items to be transferred to The Keep in time for its public opening.
In June 2013, when construction work finished and the building's owners took possession of it, the official opening date was set at November 2013.
Queen Elizabeth II performed the official opening on 31 October 2013 during a visit to Sussex.
The building has three storeys and a gross floor area of . A separate "Energy Centre" adds another to The Keep's footprint.
The main building is intended to have capacity for 20 years worth of records; a further 14 years worth of capacity could be added with an extension at the southwest side, for which provision has been made in the design. Up to 270 public users and 35 members of staff can accommodated: the maximum capacities of the lecture rooms and reading rooms are 155 and 115 respectively.
Architecturally, The Keep is a rectangular structure with pale brickwork and some rendering, metal-framed windows and doors, a silver metal roof with
areas of vegetation and wildflowers, and an "embossed concrete
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
" near the roofline to "create additional visual interest and ... break down the mass of the block". The building is high, long and wide. The design is said to reflect that of "many educational buildings which have been developed in a similar architectural idiom".
Remit and facilities
The Keep houses all of the archives, documents and historical records of both
East Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex.
East Sussex is divided into five local government districts. Three are larger, rural, districts (from west to east: Lewes; Wealden; and Rother). ...
and Brighton & Hove City Council. The
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
's Special Collections are also included, including the records of the "internationally renowned"
Mass-Observation
Mass-Observation is a United Kingdom social research project; originally the name of an organisation which ran from 1937 to the mid-1960s, and was revived in 1981 at the University of Sussex.
Mass-Observation originally aimed to record everyday ...
project
and
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...
s by
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
and
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.
Woolf was born i ...
.
The
Sussex Family History Group (which covers both East and West Sussex) is based in the building and has moved its library there. Facilities are provided for public access and research. Educational visits by schools and other institutions, volunteer groups, societies and similar will be catered for.
Facilities include lecture rooms, a public reading/study room and similar provision for the archivists, a recording centre for oral histories, conservation laboratories and areas where archive materials can be repaired, repositories for storage, reprographic and record digitisation facilities, offices, eating and refreshment areas, toilets and a separate Energy Centre.
By generating electricity from photovoltaic panels, turning rainwater into usable water and generating heat from a
biomass boiler, this facility will help The Keep meet its aim of being "the most sustainable archive building in the country".
The proposed opening hours are 9.00am–5.00pm Mondays to Saturdays inclusive, with occasional Sunday opening. These hours are longer than those at the former record office at The Maltings in Lewes.
See also
*
West Sussex Record Office
The West Sussex Record Office at Orchard Street, Chichester, is the county record office for the county of West Sussex. It is run by West Sussex County Council.
Notable holdings
The record office holds a number of unique collections connected t ...
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
External links
East Sussex County Council: The Keep home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keep, Brighton
County record offices in England
Buildings and structures in Brighton and Hove
Government buildings completed in 2013
History of East Sussex
University of Sussex