What Research Resources Does Steyning Museum Offer for Family and Local History?

Steyning Museum keeps a library and archives for detailed research, and its website groups that material under Family History, Archives, Local History, Oral History, Graveyard Gossip and The Box Files. These resources are consulted as part of a museum visit rather than through an online database, so the practical first step is to check what is on display and then plan a trip to use the reference material in person.

What the website tells you before you visit

The museum describes itself as telling the story of Steyning, Bramber, Upper Beeding, Ashurst, Wiston and Botolphs, from pre-history to the present day. That local scope matters for research: if your family or property connects to one of those parishes, the collection is likely to be relevant; if it does not, the archives are unlikely to help.

The site separates two kinds of content:

• Exhibits — permanent exhibits, current exhibitions and previous exhibitions, including a current exhibition titled The River Runs Through on the story of the Adur Valley.
• Research sections — Family History, Archives, Local History, Oral History, Graveyard Gossip and The Box Files.

The research sections are the ones to open first. They sit alongside Education and Reference & Archives in the site navigation, which confirms that reference and archive material is treated as a core part of the museum rather than an add-on.

The research sections and what each is for

The names are descriptive rather than detailed, so treat them as signposts. Open each section on the site to see what it actually contains before assuming a particular record type is held.

A research visit in practice

1. Define your question narrowly. For example, "Which members of the Page family appear in Steyning records between 1850 and 1900?" or "What does the museum hold on the Adur Valley navigation?" A narrow question tells you which section to start with.
2. Read the relevant research section on the website. Note any named collections, indexes or contact routes mentioned there.
3. Check What's On before travelling. The events listing shows that the museum runs talks and tours, including a conducted tour of the Commonwealth War Graves in Steyning Churchyard — a free event with no booking required, meeting inside the museum. Events like this can put you in touch with people who know the collections.
4. Plan the visit around the reference material. The site presents the library and archives as something you consult during a visit, so allow time for reading rather than expecting a quick lookup.
5. Bring your own device. The museum offers an audio guide to its history and exhibits that you access on your own smartphone; it is a useful orientation before you settle into archive work.

Practical points worth knowing

• Opening and closure notices are posted on the site. A news item records that the museum closed on Thursday 9 and Friday 10 July 2026 because of forecast extreme temperatures, aiming to reopen on the Saturday. Check the news section before a research trip, especially in summer or around holidays.
• Some events carry a charge, others do not. The coffee morning in the Penfold Hall has an entrance fee of £2.00, and a quiz is £5.00; the war graves tour is free. These are event prices, not research or admission charges, and the site does not state a price for using the library and archives.
• Membership exists. The site lists a membership section, a newsletter and a membership application, plus a subscription and a constitution. If you expect to research repeatedly, the membership pages are the place to see what is offered; the site does not state membership rates.
• There is a shop. The museum shop is listed separately from the archives, so do not confuse publications for sale with reference material you can consult.

What the site does not provide

There is no indication of an online catalogue, searchable database or digitised records. The research route described on the site is a physical one: read the section pages, then visit and use the library and archives. If you need to confirm whether a specific record is held, or whether someone can check an index for you before you travel, the site's contact details are the appropriate channel — the published pages do not promise a remote enquiry service.

For anyone researching families or places in Steyning, Bramber, Upper Beeding, Ashurst, Wiston or Botolphs, the museum's combination of a reference library, archives, oral history and graveyard material is a sensible complement to county record offices. Start with the six research sections online, note your question, and build the visit around the reading time the archives require.