Staffordshire History Centre will be 'little window' into past

A new £8.7m history centre housing valuable archives collections from Staffordshire is set to open this week.

The Staffordshire History Centre, on Eastgate Street in Stafford, will welcome visitors on Wednesday after more than three years of work on the project.

It will serve primarily as a storage facility for the county's archives, with members of the public able to book appointments to have a look at the collections.

Staffordshire county councillor Victoria Wilson told BBC Radio Stoke the opening would be a "very exciting moment" for her.

"I cannot wait to throw the doors open to the public so they can look into this little window of the past to see what Staffordshire and history here is all about," she said.

The centre will be open Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:00 to 16:00.

The new centre includes modern search rooms, strong rooms for archives and collections as well as a bright space for displays and exhibitions.

It combines three collections from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, Staffordshire County Museum and the William Salt Library.

Visitors will be able to access archives and artefacts from the county's past while a new education and learning space will host schools, workshops and events.

A programme of activities and touring exhibitions will also take history into local communities across the county.

Joanna Terry, head of archives and heritage at the county council, said the team at the authority had worked hard on the project.

"We're all really passionate about what we do, that's why we're in this job. We care about the collections and making them accessible," she said.

The project was funded with a £4.8m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £2m from the county council, with Stafford Borough Council and other donors making up the rest.