PORTSMOUTH RECORDS OFFICE & PORTSMOUTH MUSEUMS

Description: Substantial oral history collections (over 1100 recordings) relating to Portsmouth history and to D-Day, subjects including Portsmouth dockyard, the Home Front in WW2, Leisure, the Chinese, Bangladeshi and Caribbean communities, corset making, ferry workers, local rock musicians, D-Day and the Battle for Normandy. The Richard Lancelyn Green Collection of film, books, archives, sound recordings and stills, etc, relating to Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There are also film items presented to the city from time to time by individuals.

NB Separate website for Portsmouth Museums: https://portsmouthmuseums.co.uk/
Website: https://librariesandarchives.portsmouth.gov.uk/archive-service-and-history-centre/
Keywords: Newsreels; Hampshire; Churchill, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer; Portsmouth; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Sherlock Holmes; D-Day; Corset making; Ferries; Chinese community; Bangladeshi community; Caribbean community; Leisure
Access: Access through Portsmouth History Centre at Portsmouth Central Library, by prior appointment to ensure the desired recordings or transcripts are available.

Access to recordings relating to the D-Day Landings is through The D-Day Story (https://theddaystory.com/).

All film acquired before 2004 transferred to Wessex Film and Sound Archive, Winchester. Contact Hampshire Record Office.
Access for outsiders: All of it bar a handful of recordings.

Books: Most editions of Conan Doyle’s works in English, many in other languages, many volumes of criticism.
Music: Some local rock and pop bands, perhaps half a dozen recordings.
Posters: Posters relating to Conan Doyle/Sherlock Holmes films, number as yet indeterminate. A handful of other film posters.
Sound: Over 1100 oral history recordings as of Sept 2005, collection growing by some 45 recordings a year. Mostly on audio cassette or minidisk, but being digitised.
Still Images: Over 20,000 photos, paintings, postcards, prints and drawings of local Portsmouth views and people, D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, and Sherlock Holmes related items.
Video/Film: Unknown as yet but substantial number of recordings of films, TV and Radio plays about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or featuring Sherlock Holmes. Film: Mainly newsreel items of local interest, such as Winston Churchill receiving the Freedom of Portsmouth.

Computerised database: Oral History collection
Online catalogue: Under development
Related website: Under develoopment
Card catalogue: Of local film material (Lancelyn Green collection not yet catalogued)
Digitised catalogue: About 40 per cent of the oral history collection is digitised, there is a programme of digitisation.

Telephone: 023 9268 8046
Email: portsmouthhistorycentre@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
Address: Portsmouth History Centre
Central Library
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth
PO1 2DX

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