In this project, Dr Maureen Wright took on the role of Community Historian.
In the Facebook post below, she shares some of her joys of supporting the volunteers in the research.

‘Beneath the Water Tower’ was the book from the project. The team described the book as: “This unique publication weaves together research, oral history memories, inspired fiction and contemporary artistic responses to create glimpses of the lives that were lived over the course of a century – beneath the water tower.”
The Graylingwell Heritage Project had an exhibition at the West Sussex Record Office, which included many audio histories telling the stories of people who worked or were treated at Graylingwell Hospital. The recordings were made available to the public during a short period only.
The Otter Gallery at the University of Chichester showcased the contemporary artwork, which brought together a mass of imagery made with patients on the existing NHS Graylingwell wards, staff and community members alongside the Project’s Creative Team.
The Graylingwell Chapel in Chichester showcased the work of the project too. Members of the public were able to see examples of the newly digitised patient casebooks, and enjoy a series of presentations from the project team and volunteers. The public were also able to meet the many people who participated in the Project throughout 2014.
You can discover more about the Graylingwell Heritage Project, which concluded in 2015, on its Facebook page.
Thank you to the project team for sharing much of the information for this post to highlight its work.