Stoke-on-Trent City Archives to relocate to Potteries Museum

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is planning to move its City Archives service into the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.

The relocation comes after a recent restructure of the museum service, which saw the merger of staff teams at the Potteries Museum and Gladstone Pottery Museum with the loss of a dozen roles. Gladstone Pottery Museum will also close for much of the winter season to pursue filming and venue hire opportunities.

The council says the relocation of the city archives aims to make better use of council-owned public buildings and “bring together two fantastic services and their important historical collections in more modern, purposely-structured facilities”.

The City Archives, which are part of the joint Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service, are likely to move from their current home at City Central Library in 2023.

The Potteries Museum will house a new reading room in its foyer.

The cabinet approved the proposal to move the archives service in July, saying it “maximises the use of the council’s property portfolio and provides a storage space-efficient solution within a controlled environment”.

The relocation will be added as a project within the council's existing capital programme, with a budget of up to £1.335m funded by existing capital allocation. 

Lorraine Beardmore, the cabinet member for culture, leisure and public health, said: “One of our priorities is to maintain the culture and heritage of Stoke-on-Trent. By relocating the archives to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, we will be enhancing the offer of the museum as a hub for local history and heritage.

“The museum and City Central Library are located next to each other, so as well as the move enhancing and complementing both services by bringing them together, it will also make the move more cost-effective and efficient than moving elsewhere.”