Cumbria County Council has received official confirmation of a £4.79 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a new state-of-the-art archives centre in Carlisle - the largest grant the fund has ever awarded in Cumbria.
The county council is also investing more than £1million in the scheme which will see the disused Lady Gillford House at Petteril Bank redeveloped into a modern, high-tech archive, exhibition and research centre to service the needs of people in North Cumbria.
The money will help secure a modern facility where people can access more than one million historical items which will be relocated from their current home in Carlisle Castle when the new centre opens its doors in early 2010.
In July, people from Carlisle were given an opportunity to view the detailed plans for the new historical facility which when built will bring much needed investment back to one of the more deprived areas of the county.
Now the project business plan has been approved by the Heritage Lottery Fund - something that needed to happen before the record-breaking grant could be confirmed - all that remains is for planning and listed building consents to be obtained before construction work on the site can start sometime in 2008.
The Archive Service's collection of historical records dates back to the 12th Century and includes the Royal Charter of the City of Carlisle from 1316 which bears the seal of Edward II. It has been estimated that if laid end to end, the entire collection would stretch over three miles.
The new Archives Centre will increase access to heritage and education by providing a seamless link between the present and the past.
Councillor Gary Strong, cabinet member responsible for the county council's Archives Service, said: "Confirmation of this Heritage Lottery Fund grant - the largest ever awarded in Cumbria - is tremendous news. The new Archives Centre will open up North Cumbria's historical gems to more people and really bring the past to life.
"The new facility will include spacious rooms where people can browse historical records in comfort and provide cultural community activities for local people of all ages. The centre will also enable improved cycle and pedestrian links to the Petteril Valley.
"The public have and will continue to play a vital role in this project: from helping to prepare our initial Heritage Lottery bid to assisting with the mammoth task of re-wrapping thousands of historical records prior to their move to the new archives centre."
Carole Souter, Director of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "Whilst Communities change over their time, archives remain as a lasting legacy of our shared heritage. We are delighted to support Cumbria County Council's plans to bring out the stories hidden within these archives and bring them to life for generations to come."
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Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228-606337
Notes
The image shows an artistic impression of the new Archives Centre.