The dataset represents the results of a CVD growth study of monolayer WS2 films on sapphire substrates and underpins the figures in the main manuscript of "Optimisation of processing conditions during CVD growth of 2D WS2 films from a chloride precursor" that has appeared in the Journal of Materials Science. The manuscript describes an annealing protocol that was developed for the Oxford Instruments Nanofab cold wall CVD reactor to optimise the optical properties of the films. The improvement in quality is demonstrated through a systematic analysis of Raman and photoluminescence spectra and line shapes, including 2D maps generated across large area samples. Atomic force microscopy is used to confirm that the films are indeed uniform single monolayers. Finally, a wet transfer process from sapphire to Si/SiO2 substrates is used to demonstrate that the quality of the films remains unaffected.