Our collections

Hampshire Archives and Local Studies collects archives relating to Hampshire and Hampshire families, and film and sound archives relating to central southern England. We also house Hampshire's Local Studies library.

Our collections have been Designated by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as a collection of national and international importance, providing an unparalleled resource for the knowledge and understanding of the history of the geographical area of Hampshire. They include three collections of outstanding national and international significance.

• Winchester Bishopric collection, and specifically the pipe rolls, have been used extensively by generations of medieval historians as sources for the economic, social and agrarian history of southern England
• Winchester City archives are also important because of Winchester’s unique position in medieval England and tell the story of its national role and the eventual transfer of government from Hampshire to London.
• Wessex Film and Sound Archive includes material of national importance such as original negatives, sound tracks and other material relating to the raising of the Tudor warship 'Mary Rose' and its preservation by the Mary Rose Trust, 1969-1984, and films by Alfred John West of Southsea, 1897-1905 – one of the UK pioneers of cinematography.