Background to the Project

1) What will be at the Staffordshire History Centre?

The Staffordshire History Centre will redevelop the Staffordshire Record Office and William Salt Library site to include:

• A new public entrance from Eastgate Street through the archway
• A covered courtyard with welcome and entrance to the History Centre and an exhibition space
• A space to access digital collections
• New searchroom to consult archives, books, photographs and ephemera from our collections
• The Hildegard Simon Activity space for school sessions, events, courses and family activities
• A room for collection volunteers
• Access to the ground floor of the William Salt Library including duplicate books in the Trustees Room, refreshment area, toilets and lockers
• A small garden between the History Centre and William Salt Library planted to encourage insects and wildlife
• A pedestrian walkway through the site connecting Eastgate Street to North Walls

2) Why are you doing the project?

We developed a ten year vision for the service in 2015 and consulted widely to identify the best option to ensure:

• All of our collections are stored in compliant strongrooms
• We have enough space to continue collecting for a minimum of 20 years
• We redeveloped our public services to one base in Stafford with a new structure to deliver
• We provide a space to exhibit our collections
• Our service is cost-effective and sustainable for the future
• We engage more diverse audiences with the collections
• We preserve and restore the William Salt Library and develop new uses for the building
• We provide a new joined up digital offer for the service
• We create a tourist attraction as part of the town centre offer in Stafford
• Our service is and accredited archive and museum service

During the Project

3) Will there be any activities during your closure period?

We will be undertaking a series of touring exhibitions, talks, craft activities, cataloguing, research and digitisation activities.  There will be plenty of opportunities to take part across the county. We will also offer Behind the Scenes tours of our collection stores during the construction period.

4) Where can I find out more information?

You can find out more information on this microsite, by following us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or signing up for our eNewsletter.

5) How can I get involved?

We will have a variety of volunteer opportunities during our four year activity programme. Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at Staffordshire Record Office.

6) Will your opening hours be changing?

Our core opening hours for our searchroom will not change but we plan to consult on the opening hours for the History Centre during the project.

7) Will there be a new website?

Yes we are currently developing a new website for when the history centre opens, which will bring together our existing digital offers.

8) Who is the new History Centre for?

The History Centre will be for everyone! We will retain our searchroom offer for existing users but will extend our provision to include:

• Changing exhibitions
• Events
• Courses
• School sessions
• Family activities
• A network for teachers
• A network for local history societies
• An attraction for residents and visitors to the county

The buildings

1) What’s going to happen to the William Salt Library building?

The William Salt Library building on Eastgate Street, which is owned by a charitable trust, will be an important part of the new History Centre. The ground floor will be leased to SCC to offer reading and meeting spaces as well as much improved refreshment and toilet facilities. The bow fronted Trustees Room will offer a comfortable book lined space for browsing and relaxing with information about William Salt and collecting, whilst the current Reading Room will be offered for meetings, volunteer work and other activities, together with information about the history of the townhouse. Original features will be exposed and restored.

The remaining spaces will be run to generate income for the maintenance of the building and the support of the Collection. The 19th century cottage (the left side next to the archway) will become a compact and convenient two floor house available for rent, whilst the upper floors will offer varied attractive and unique office spaces to small businesses and individual consultants.

2) How does the project address the issue of climate change?

Our new strongrooms will be constructed as passive stores which means they will not rely on air conditioning to maintain the environment. We will provide cycle racks at the Centre and encourage use of public transport for visitors. We will also a recycling strategy for the project and look for opportunities to improve energy efficiency through the project. There will be an insect friendly garden plus landscaping along the pedestrian pathway.

3) How will I access the History Centre?

You will be able to visit in person, visit our new website, or visit one of our touring exhibitions or community projects/events.

4) Will there be parking available?

No, we will encourage use of public transport. There will be two parking spaces for visitors with disabilities.