Showcasing over 1,000 years of the region's history, the brand new Staffordshire History Centre is now open to the public.

The new £8.7 million Staffordshire History Centre project has been delivered by Staffordshire County Council and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund with a grant of £4,858,699. 

Located on Eastgate Street in Stafford, the new centre includes modern search and learning rooms, strong rooms capable of holding up to a further 50 years of archives and a bright exhibition space for displays and temporary exhibitions.

Combining three important collections from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, the County Museum, and the William Salt Library, the new History Centre will offer visitors the chance to access and research fascinating archives and artefacts that tell the story of Staffordshire’s past.

During the groundworks for the new strongroom, small pieces of Anglo-Saxon pottery were discovered. This pottery dates back almost 1,500 years, and no Anglo-Saxon finds of this date have previously been found in Stafford. They may be small in scale, but these pieces of pottery hint at where settlement in the town was concentrated prior to the construction of the defensive burh in 913AD.

Some exhibits on display include a Spider Phaeton Carriage from 1890, Charles I silk night cap from 1630s and a James Brindley notebook from 1772. The will of Wulfric Spot which confirms a grant of land on which Burton Abbey was founded is also on display. This document is over 1,000 years old.

Not just a place of historical collections but the new centre also features a remodelled research room, perfect for local historians, genealogists, and academics to delve deep into Staffordshire’s past. Bookings are now open for researchers who wish to consult original documents.

The new education and learning space will host a range of school programmes, workshops, and events designed for all ages. During November and December there will be a range of activities for visitors to join in with including spotlight talks and family friendly crafts.

Meanwhile the adjacent restored William Salt Library building, part of the new centre, showcases William Salt’s unique collection and the history of the library building itself, which has been cherished by local residents for decades.

The new centre will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and is free to visit. Pop up activities will mark the opening month with more events planned for next year, you can find out more at staffordshirehistory.org.uk/staffordshire-history-centre.