Work starts on £6.4m archive building
WORK is to begin on a multi-million pound archive building in Wakefield, which will house historical records of regional, national and international significance.
The £6.4m West Yorkshire Archive Building is to be built in Kirkgate, with construction by Leeds-based Bardsley Construction Yorkshire starting in March, and it will store over 10 million records over three floors.
The project is being jointly funded by the five West Yorkshire Councils, West Yorkshire Joint Services and Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) which has awarded a £3.9m grant to create a new permanent home for the region’s archives.
Cllr Peter Box Leader of Wakefield Council, said: “I am very proud that work is due to begin thanks to the funding that has been secured through the Heritage Lottery Fund, for this nationally-important collection of information. The records are part of our heritage and history.”
Adrian Rooney, regional director, Bardsley Construction Yorkshire, said: “This prestigious building will provide an iconic new home for the West Yorkshire Joint Services Archive and be a welcoming place for people to connect with and research fascinating local and family history contained in more than 10 million records.”
The new building has been designed by architects Broadway Malyan and is due for completion in the Spring of 2016.
