A Moving Story: A Visit to Staffordshire History Centre
We are lucky enough to have a recently transformed county archive service as neighbours. Last week, the Cheshire Archives team made the short train journey from Chester to Stafford. Our destination? The Staffordshire History Centre (SHC), which opened its doors to the public last November.
Over the last few years, Staffordshire Archives and Heritage navigated the construction of a new building, designed and delivered activity programmes, and created accessible learning and families offers in a community-focused space. Like us with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We were all keen to hear what they had learned on their project journey, as well as see their fascinating collections.
Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and ushered into a bright, inviting exhibition space. The SHC showcases archives, museum pieces, and collections from the William Salt Library. We explored local art, learned about Staffordshire’s shoemaking industry, and had plenty of fun with their family-friendly interactive games. It was clear SHC shares our ethos in celebrating their county’s rich histories grounded in local communities, both past and present.
Our tour continued quietly through the refurbished searchroom. We then ventured behind the scenes to the strongrooms, where the archives are carefully stored and monitored. It was particularly exciting to see a brand-new strongroom extension, which will allow them to store another 40-50 years of Staffordshire’s recorded history.
We ended our tour in the restored William Salt Library, which in itself is a fascinating piece of architectural and social history. Over a cup of tea we learned more about SHC’s journey and experiences throughout their project, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and how local communities have responded to the centre since its opening. Our learning officer Chloe had the opportunity to meet her Staffordshire counterpart and exchange ideas and experiences, including being invited along on a school visit walking tour. We greatly appreciated Staffordshire’s openness and the support they have shown for our own project.
If you are missing visiting us in person while we are closed, find a Staffordshire connection and go and see them. It is a short walk through a lovely park and Stafford’s main square from the station. You will find a warm welcome and experience the archives service doing things differently and brilliantly.
