Arts & Civic

Hull History Centre

Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Pringle Richards Sharratt completed the New History Centre at Hull, following a design competition.
 
This project is a joint venture between Hull City Council and Hull University to provide new accommodation for both the city archives and local studies collection and the University’s collections (which include the Larkin Archive and the records of Liberty and various political groups). The building is located on the eastern edge of the city centre, on a key route linking the city centre and the east bank of the River Hull. We provided key support in the successful Stage 2 Heritage Lottery Fund application. 
 
The History Centre provides integrated, state-of-the-art storage and public access facilities for the archival, manuscript, book and local studies collections. It includes storage, conservation, binding, digitisation, IT, teaching and learning facilities, as well as office space and room(s) for visitors to consult material. The design includes a repository on the upper floor, designed to provide a high degree of environmental control to comply with BS5454, with all the public spaces at ground level. These are flanked by a linear arcade running along the south face of the building and a new park to the south.

As a key requirement of the brief, above all, the centre is a highly visible and accessible focus for the local community, instilling pride in the history of Hull for generations to come.