14 December 2022
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Artist's impression of the New Staffordshire History Centre
Work to build a brand new £5.4m history centre for Staffordshire is set to begin in January.
Over 1,000 years of the county’s history will be brought to life in the new heritage project, which has been made possible thanks to a grant of £4,8M from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The new centre will include an extension to the existing Staffordshire Record Office on Eastgate Street in Stafford, incorporating the William Salt Library. A glazed entrance will link both buildings, creating an exhibition space to showcase museum, archive and William Salt library collections. Additional strong rooms will provide space for a further 55 years of collections.
Artist's impressions of the new building
The project also has funding to deliver a four-year programme of activities enabling people to discover more about their family or local history through behind the scenes tours, history days, exhibitions, and family activities. A new website will be developed and key collections will be digitised to widen access.
Victoria Wilson, Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture at Staffordshire County Council said: ‘We’re justifiably proud of our history and wonderful collections and we want to be able to share them and be able to protect them for future generations to enjoy.
Councillor Victoria Wilson (left) with Joanna Terry, Head of Archives and Heritage at Staffordshire County Council
‘We’re all incredibly excited about the project and it’s great to have the start confirmed for the new year. Not only will the project give us a brand new heritage attraction for the county but it will bring together three amazing collections from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, the County Museum and the William Salt Library.
‘In addition to the new centre, a dedicated programme of touring exhibitions will also help take the Staffordshire story out into local communities, helping to get more people interested in our fascinating history. We are grateful to National Lottery Players for making this funding possible.’
Further details on the project are available at the project website.
