Venue Source Ledger
This ledger records which source classes currently support the venue layer, what each source can establish, and what still needs checking. It is deliberately more conservative than a gig list.
| Venue | Source currently in hand | Evidence class | Can establish | Does not yet establish | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn Exchange | Existing event/source records; ERO Chancellor project and architectural context | Mixed | Selected 1965–67 event records; building history; 1969 demolition boundary. | A complete programme for the 1960s. | Extract surviving individual adverts, programmes, photographs and local press references record-by-record. |
| Chancellor Hall | Tickets, adverts, flyers and photographs in the working archive; selected event records; SA 15/1/4/4/1 oral-history catalogue entry | Strong / mixed | Multiple dated events plus independent oral-history context for the venue's importance. | Every surviving ticket/flyer item as a dated event; a complete chronology. | Build individual source cards and compare dates, artists and venue wording. |
| Odeon | Selected 1980 event records; SA 15/1/4/4/1 oral-history catalogue entry | Developing | Selected dated events and an independent oral-history lead. | Additional dates inferred only from memory or catalogue summary. | Extract individual ticket/poster/listing evidence before expanding chronology. |
| Civic Theatre | Existing advertised/event material; MR-001 memorabilia object | Mixed | Selected advertised shows; existence of MR-001 as a surviving object. | Year of MR-001; complete programme. | Search contemporary listings and related programmes for the undated ticket. |
| Y Club / YMCA | Venue listings; MR-004 memorabilia object | Lead / mixed | Separate evidence for Y Club listings and an undated YMCA object. | That Y Club and YMCA were the same room or organisation at the relevant dates. | Find contemporary address, promoter or venue wording before merging. |
| Chelmsford Folk Club | User-supplied Chelmsford Weekly News cutting, 21 September 1995, reporting closure | Contemporary press | Contemporary evidence that the club was closing in 1995; final period at The Cock and Bell, Writtle; named Richard Christian and Malcolm Campbell. | A complete chronology, all previous venues, or every performer. | Compare the closure report with surviving club newsletters, recordings, oral histories and earlier venue evidence. |
| Army & Navy | Sean Hudson first-person interview, 18 May 2021; named booking memories | Oral history | Promoter recollection, venue development and named acts within the interview. | Independent confirmation of every named booking/date. | Match the interview against tickets, flyers, listings and contemporary press. |
External archive access
Essex Archives Online provides catalogue descriptions for archive items and includes some digitised images plus audio/video. ERO states that many original records remain accessible through the Searchroom rather than online, and some recordings are restricted by copyright or have not yet been catalogued or digitised.
For Chelmsford Rocks research, that means “not found online” is not treated as “does not exist”. A missing digital result becomes a research-access question instead.
- Catalogue reference known → record the reference and source wording.
- Digital item available → inspect and cite the actual item, not merely the catalogue title.
- Searchroom-only item → retain the catalogue reference and mark access state.
- Uncatalogued/undigitised lead → preserve it as a research target, not a confirmed fact.
Open the site's archive-access guide → · Return to Venue Dossiers →
Current catalogue references worth carrying forward
| Reference | Why it matters to the venue layer |
|---|---|
| SA 15/1/4/4/1 | Paul Cleary oral-history catalogue material covering Chelmsford popular music, including Chancellor Hall and the Odeon. Use as contextual evidence, not as a substitute for individual event records. |
| SA 30/6/94/1 | 1978 Chelmsford Folk Club Christmas Special; useful example of the site's recording-backed approach to dated records. |
| SA 30/6/402/1 | 18 July 1982 Chelmsford Folk Club recording; shows the level of exact catalogue detail available for surviving recordings. |
| SA 30/6/425/1 | 17 October 1982 Chelmsford Folk Club recording, including Martin Carthy and detailed contents. |
| SA 30/6/428/1 | 7 November 1982 Chelmsford Folk Club recording, including Annie Harding and Chelmsford Morris. |
| SA 30/6/653/1 | 3 March 1985 Chelmsford Folk Club recording; catalogue notes the recording ends abruptly. |
| SA 30/6/712/1 | December 1985 Chelmsford Folk Club recording with East Anglian Dulcimers material. |
| SA 30/6/736/1 | 20 April 1986 Chelmsford Folk Club recording, part 1 of 2. |
Research discipline
The ledger is intended to prevent a common archive error: turning a useful clue into a stronger claim than its source supports. New material should enter through the evidence register, then the dossier, and only then the public chronology when the record is strong enough.
Last expanded: October 2026. This is a working research layer; catalogue availability and access conditions can change.