The Village Archive offers a wonderful exploration of Chipstead through the ages, mainly seen through the writings of residents, past and present.
It is the brainchild of our former Village Archivist, Rupert Courtenay Evans and Barry Pepper, who led the team developing this website. Over the years Rupert has collected many books, photographs and records which form the village archive. An index of what we have is included here.
In 2011 Rupert and Barry decided that it would be a good idea to digitise parts of the written archive and put it on the website. In 2019 another village resident, Jon Grant, took over from Rupert as custodian of the archive. If you have an enquiry about Chipstead's history or have material that you would like to contribute to the archive please contact Jon through CVPS@chipsteadvillage.org
Posted by Jon
Some letters, minutes and accounts dating back to 1919 and 1920 have recently been added to the Village Archive. They provide some fascinating insights into the July 1919 celebrations and the unveiling of the War Memorial a year later.
Posted by Jon
As a boy Bruce roamed the Chipstead countryside and has recorded his observations in two papers. Between them they describe a vibrant farming community in the late 1940s existing amidst extraordinarily diverse wildlife.
Posted by Jon
The other day I was helping the church sort through some old papers and came across a real gem. Right at the bottom of an old trunk there was a package tied up with string with ‘Chipstead Home Guard’ scribbled on it. It included a letter to the Rector from Edward Harding suggesting that while the assorted papers might not be of particular interest to him some future historian might be glad to find…