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Set up in 1986, the Island Archives Service obtain, catalogue and care for historical documents, but Archivist Dr Darryl Ogier said their main job is to deal with the current States paperwork.

The archives moved into St Barnabas Church, at the top of Cornet Street, near the start of the 21st Century and the space is well suited to them as the large windows allow plenty of natural light in and the high ceiling meant a large box could be built within which documents are stored and the temperature and humidity is controlled to keep them in good condition.

The archives is always on the look out for when documents relating to the islands become available and if they are of interest there is money available to purchase them as Dr Ogier explained, "It is thanks to the interest from the Wilford Carey Fund which we share with Guernsey Museum that we are able to buy pieces."

Dr Ogier looks through one of the books

When asked about the suggestion of digitising the documents, Dr Ogier pointed out that if a document has survived for 700 years it should be good for a few more.

Also researchers get different things out of documents besides the content as some are interested in the seals, others the drawings which decorate the pages and the handwriting is a draw for some.

The archive is open to the public but the first port of call for most research is the Priaulx Library, especially for exploring your family history but the Archives has a lot of information which can add to research such as the Occupation records as when applying for a registration card each person had to fill out a written form and have a photo taken.

This section is for the storing of plans

St Barnabas Church has had an interesting history after being built 1874 to serve the poorer elements of St Peter Port who lived in that area.

It was a soup kitchen, the Lukis museum - infamous for its leaky roof - before Candie museum opened in the 1970s, a store for the Housing Authority and was virtually abandoned before the archives moved in.