The Essex Sound and Video Archive is a collection of sound recordings and videos covering all aspects of life and culture in Essex. The recordings are collected and preserved at the Essex Record Office in order that they can be used for research and accessed by as many people as possible.

The archive holds a range of recordings including significant collections of oral history, radio broadcasts, hospital TV and talking newspapers. There are opportunities to hear Essex dialect and accents, as well as music, song and dance. There are recordings of music created and performed by local musicians, and a nationally significant collection of folk music and folk dance drawn from Essex sources. This includes hundreds of live recordings made at folk clubs and festivals.

The archive can be accessed in the dedicated playback room at the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford. Sound recordings can also be listened to, by arrangement, at the Archive Access Points at Saffron Walden and Harlow.

For further information about the Essex Sound and Video Archive, contact Essex Record Office.