As 2023 comes to an end we wanted to highlight the progress that has been made on the construction of the new Staffordshire History Centre. Work started in February, when Paveaways Ltd took over the site, and over the last 10 months there have been big changes.

The reinforced concrete structure for the four-story extension is now in place. Rising from the ground, is the 15-metre-tall reinforced concrete structure, which will house the centre’s new strong rooms.  With the concrete floor slabs also in place, work is progressing well on this important part of the project. The strong room extension will expand the space to house archival material for up to 50 years and will provide suitable environmental conditions to help care for these collections.  

Steven Owen Managing Director of Paveaways Ltd and Councillor Victoria Wilson visit the site.

Reconfiguration work is ongoing with new areas, including an activity room, starting to emerge. Painting and decoration work has begun inside with specific colours chosen to help us tell the story of 19 Eastgate Street. Work has now started on the roof of the glazed extension, which will house our exhibition spaces.

Underfloor heating has been in laid in the exhibition area, the welcome wall takes shape just inside the new entrance, brickwork continues & the concrete structure is in place for the strongroom extension, a period fireplace has been sourced for the library reading room.

Careful restoration work in the William Salt Library building continues, including some structural work, repairs to the floors and the replacement of a staircase in the cottage part of the building.  Other restoration work and window repairs are ongoing and more examples of historic wallpaper have been uncovered and recorded.

Head of Archives & Heritage Joanna Terry inspects progress from the top of the strongroom extension during a visit for National Lottery Heritage Fund staff.

The construction site was recently visited by Staffordshire County Council’s Prosperous Overview and Scrutiny Committee, who were pleased to see the progress that has been made on the project.

If you would like to watch a video of the construction so far please visit the link to our YouTube channel: timelapse video.

We are looking forward to more progress in 2024 with key milestones including topping out the strongroom extension, the installation of the glazing for the exhibition area and finally the site handover.

Sarah English – Engagement & Access Manager