Key details
Date of development : 2024
Who funded it : Lambeth Council and Museum Development
Case study themes
Service sustainability, community engagement, accessibility
Project summary
The Minet Library, which had housed Lambeth Council’s archive for over 135 years, was unsurprisingly no longer fit for purpose. The strongrooms were full with no proper environmental or preservation controls. There was not enough space to accommodate groups such as schools or to host exhibitions. Furthermore, its location in a residential area with no transport links affected audience reach.
As part of a project to refurbish libraries in Lambeth, an archive consultant was hired to make a case for a new archive building. Their report, combined with advocacy from local groups and the backing of a cabinet member, helped gain support for a new building. Several sites were considered but all were found to be ultimately unsuitable.
However, the opportunity arose in 2019 to relocate the archive to a prominent location in central Brixton. The site occupies the ground floor and basement of a new residential block, replacing the Olive Morris Building on Brixton Hill. The project was funded by Lambeth Council, in partnership with the developer Muse, as part of a wider regeneration scheme of Lambeth Town Hall and surrounding council offices in the heart of the Brixton area.
Challenges and opportunities
The reporting process was complicated due to the extended line between the architect, contractor and developer on the private side and within the local authority. There could be many layers to go through before speaking to the architect, builder or developer. Being part of a larger project that also included the construction of residential apartments above brought similar complications.
Architects, contractors and developers are doing their day job when working on an archive redevelopment. Most archivists will only work on one redevelopment project in their whole career and this can mean having to quickly learn and adapt. This can be challenging as decisions sometimes need to be made quickly – if something goes wrong it can have long-term and/or financial impact.
Study spaces and book collections in the search room at Lambeth Archives. © Sam Mellish.
Because this was a large, complex project, an individual architect was hired to work on the archive service. This meant that a dedicated person could solve problems around the archive construction rather than the needs of the archive service being overlooked.
Outcomes
The project has led to a visible archive service in Brixton’s cultural quarter. Lambeth Archives is close to a host of arts and information venues. It is also a short walk from Brixton underground and railway station and on a major bus route. As the geographical centre of the London Borough of Lambeth, the majority of residents can arrive to the area using public transport.
There is accrual space in the strongroom for the archives, with the added potential to generate income. The new strongroom has enough expansion space to continue collecting for 25 years. In the short term, a new system is being tested where depositors can rent storage space for their collections. This can then be made available in the search room for the public to use or for collections work. The fees charged for this depend on the organisation. This builds on ongoing collaborative community work.
The creation of a flexible gallery, meeting and education space, known as the Olive Morris Room, named as a continuing tribute to the local activist and Black Panther. With five exhibitions in its first year, the Olive Morris Room can be seen by passers-by thanks to its large windows facing the main road. One exhibition has celebrated the return of the archive’s three Shakespeare folios from the British Library (now that they can be appropriately stored) by exploring Shakespeare in Lambeth. A Shakespeare reading by the actor Simon Callow, who grew up locally, was one of the exhibition highlights.
The Olive Morris Room at Lambeth Archives which can be used for exhibitions, meetings and events
What did you learn from the process?
The strongroom has been built on a slab of raw concrete covering the entire footprint of the building whose thermal inertia provides a temperature and humidity controlled environment within appropriate bands. Support from the National Conservation Service was invaluable here. The contractors and architect listened to their advice and followed it. By working together and sharing knowledge, the technical complexities around archive storage were completed successfully.
Due to the issue of accumulated moisture in the documents, there was some concern about moving collections from their previous strongroom at the Minet Library, which suffered from damp, into the new passive space. A small back-up dehumidifier was also installed, but the strongroom environment has self-balanced very well.
View of the strong room at Lambeth Archives. © Sam Mellish.
The resulting building is pleasing on many levels. It has excellent acoustic insulation from traffic noise. It has great visibility whilst at the same time it is not too exposed. It has inviting, modern and flexible public spaces and collections management works very well especially when it comes to retrieval.
What is one piece of advice you would give others in a similar position?
Close the service for as long as you possibly can but make sure that stakeholders understand that this doesn’t mean nothing is being done – it just means other things are happening. The decision to close was taken carefully and in full consultation with The National Archives because of the service’s Place of Deposit status.
It can feel strange not to put the public offer first, but be clear that the moving process is all about improving the public offer. Closure meant the staff and volunteers could spend time box listing, appraising, repacking and mapping collection locations. This has had a huge impact on service delivery in the new building.
The work was treated as a now or never opportunity, and progress updates were shared via various communication channels to promote the project. Huge numbers of people volunteered to help with box listing including two ex-deputy leaders of the council, and this kept up interest on social media channels. And if you can find a powerful mentor to help you through the process, grab hold of them and use them!
How will this work be developed in the future?
The heavy footfall in the area of the new location alongside the large windows offering a view into both the Olive Morris Room and the search room raises the profile of the collection as never before. It also opens up possibilities for ways to engage with new audiences. Going forward, this will need to be carefully managed as local authorities are still subject to funding shortfalls. It will be a balance to raise expectations and to be able to fulfil them if resources are tight.
Find out more
Visit the Lambeth Archives webpage