Staffordshire History Centre
Staffordshire History Centre
We worked as structural engineers on a major civic and cultural project that brought together the Staffordshire’s rich archival, library, and museum collections.
Located in Stafford on Eastgate Street, the scheme unites the Grade II* listed William Salt Library and the former Staffordshire Record Office with a new contemporary extension, forming a unified, accessible centre for heritage, research, and community engagement. The project was commissioned by Staffordshire County Council in partnership with the William Salt Library Trust, with £4m of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Working with Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects, our work involved the refurbishment of the William Salt Library, which had suffered from historic movement and timber decay. We then advised on the design of a new glazed entrance pavilion and public exhibition area that serves as the architectural heart of the site, acting as a link between the historic library building and the adjoining archive. This glazed link between the library and the record office and search rooms is constructed in a Glulam frame with a CLT roof., with the interiors designed to be open, bright, and welcoming, with the exposed CLT timber ceiling and carefully controlled natural light for spaces used by both visitors and researchers.
Internally, the centre provides state-of-the-art storage facilities, including new strong rooms that ensure long-term care of Staffordshire’s vast archive, accommodating the needs of at least the next 55 years. Public spaces include reading and search rooms, flexible activity and exhibition zones, and fully accessible facilities designed to support education, outreach, and public programming. We advised on the creation of this standalone new-build, which required careful consideration to take the necessary loading.
Since opening, the centre has served as a major cultural hub for Stafford and the wider region, fostering inclusive access to the county’s historical records and offering a model for sustainable, heritage-led regeneration.
Client: Staffordshire County Council
Architect: Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects
Photos: Courtesy of Edmund Sumner
WATCH Joanna Terry, Head of Archives and Heritage at Staffordshire History Centre, announces its opening in November 2024