The origins of field tennis, the use of goat carriages in Brighton and the suicide of an Eastbourne MP in 1932 were just three requests put to East Sussex Records Office last year.

Ancient artefacts and five miles of records dating back to 1101 are stored at the site. But with growing demand from those keen to trace their roots and a need for more high-tech surroundings to protect the treasures, plans to create a multi million-pound centre in Falmer are being drawn up.

Lawrence Marzouk visited the Aladdin's cave of maps, letters and documents.

It is difficult to imagine a middle-aged man breaking down in tears in the studious calm of the East Sussex Records Office.

But anyone who has watched the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? will have already seen the outpouring of emotions sparked by the discovery of one's past.

Wendy Walker, senior archivist at the Lewesbased site, said: "We have people in tears because it is something they have been looking for for a long time.

"It is quite moving and it gives people a real connection with the past."

In part thanks to family tree shows, The Maltings, a former malt house, is seeing ever more visitors with ever increasing demands.

Just under 6,000 people trawled through the centre's archives last year - up four times on 20 years ago.

But many of the documents from across East Sussex and Brighton and Hove are stored in a outbuildings around the county.

These factors, coupled with an expanding collection and a need to place the most fragile documents in better conditions, have spurred on the the search for a new stronghold.

A multi million-pound centre, dubbed The Keep, is planned at Woollards Field, near Falmer, and will house items held by Brighton and Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council.

Brighton and Hove city councillors have approved the site after it emerged some of their artefacts were at risk from flooding and infestation.

And if the documents are not moved from Lewes in the next ten years, some of the archives could also be at risk, county archivist Elizabeth Hughes revealed.

At the moment, The Maltings deals with 30 to 40 people a day, while The Keep will cater for at least a 100. Ms Hughes added: "People are doing a lot more research and wanting to see more stuff - they come in with a shopping list.

"They enjoy finding out about their family history and it connects them to their roots, geographically and historically.

"Communities are a bit less centred today and people are trying to research their identity.

"We have people finding their lost brothers and sisters if they were evacuated.

"It is real personal history that people are connecting with."

The financial case for the centre has yet to be made and neither council has committed money towards the scheme, which will cost between £14 million and £22 million.

But it is hoped that up to half the cash will come from a Lottery grant and the new centre could be open by 2011.

Historians in East Sussex have for years been looking for a new location for the East Sussex Record Office, which is based in the precincts of Lewes Castle.

Much of its material cannot be displayed to the public because of fire, safety and atmospheric regulations.

East Sussex County Council accepted new facilities were needed in 1996 and has been searching for a suitable site since.

Brighton and Hove also hopes to move artefacts and precious documents to The Keep after a review of its current storage options.

Of the six different sites across the city, only the Booth Museum, in Dyke Road, could be improved to meet the required standards. But this would rule out other developments at the venue.

The Maltings currently holds a wealth of fascinating information, ranging from Second World War letters to school records from the 18th century.

On a visit to the site, The Argus was shown: An application to the courts by Magnus Volk, creator of the electric railway along Brighton seafront, to extend the route to Rottingdean using a "daddy long legs" tram. The underwater tracks opened in 1896 but were closed after a storm in 1901 and never used again.

A letter, dated 1773, by William Green, who worked for the Office of Ordnance, which included a map detailing the dozens of houses which were previously built under Brighton cliff but disappeared due to 50 yards of erosion. It also gives a tantalising glance at where South Street may have been before it was washed away.

A royal charter, dated 1101, from King Henry 1 to Battle Abbey, Battle - the oldest item in the collection.

A bill from the Theatre Royal in 1874 advertising events in honour of its famous director Ellen Elizabeth Nye Chart.

The scores from a cricket match between a joint Sussex and Kent team and Surrey in 1858.

Ms Walker, who is leading The Keep project, hopes that the new centre will not only ensure that people are not turned away on busy days but that all communities, and especially school children, will be able to access the information when they want.

The site could include paintings, archeological items, sports memorabilia and a host of other artefacts.

She said: "The Keep will provide better service for the public, as it would be more efficient and people will not have to book.

"More than that, people will be able to look at more than just archives.

"It seems to us a real opportunity and we are talking to as many people as possible.

"This building is full and we have already got out-stores. We want to bring everything together in one place so the public can look at it. And we want to see archeological artefacts and most items there so it is a one-stop shop for East Sussex and Brighton and Hove."

Space limitations at the moment mean it is difficult to accommodate school classes but The Keep will be able to host visits by up to 60 children at any time.

Ms Walker said: "We need to encourage schools to come in and The Keep will allow us to do that."

And the archivists at The Maltings hope that the new centre will allow them to develop a clear plan for tackling the modern equivalent of damp and mould - the delete button.

While some may assume that electronic data ensures that documents will survive for ever, the pace of new technologies and our growing habit of deleting archives could leave a gap in our records, Ms Hughes warned.

She said that the digital age presented real problems, but also brought benefits - a new website is in the pipeline which will allow people to see documents from their home. She said: "Electronic archives are more ephemeral because, in part, of the delete button.

"Technology is moving on so quickly and we have to ensure that things can be recorded.

"The original Domesday Book of 1086 is fine but the BBC version made in 1986 couldn't be read 15 years after.

"They have had to put in a lot of money so it can be. The first email that was sent has never been saved.

"It is a totally new ball game and we need to preserve the archives for the future."

For more information visit Access to Archives (www.a2a.org.uk) which hosts the lists of archives held by record offices all over the country.

Details of the record office can be found at here