“Through a mixture of persistent advocacy and imaginative joined-up thinking, a multi-service provision was envisioned to meet the needs of the archive, the council and the communities they serve.”
Carolyn Ball, County Archivist
June 2024 marked the end of a decade-long journey for Durham County Record Office and the start of its reincarnation as The Story.
The Record Office’s six miles of collections contain 900 years of history, revealing fascinating glimpses into the lives of people throughout the county’s history. After years of advocacy, including extensive public consultations, fundraising, planning and building, the new archive service reopened as a wholly different proposition in a brand new location.
Having moved three miles from its home in the former County Hall, the archive is now situated in a redeveloped Grade II listed Georgian manor house on the city outskirts of Durham. The building includes a 21st-century extension designed on Passive House principles.
The new site at Mount Oswald provides storage for five historic collections: Archaeology, Archives, Historic Registration, Local Studies and the Durham Light Infantry Collection. These have been brought together for the first time with state-of-the-art digital access, a fully integrated collections search, a permanent exhibition, ceremony rooms, retail space and a café.
Closing the archive service to the public in January 2022 in preparation for moving was challenging, particularly following the necessary pandemic-closures. However, Durham County Record Office continued to offer expert advice, answer enquiries and deliver education programmes, online history talks and courses. The council understood that long closures and a name change came with risks, but had been addressing these through significant engagement work, online and onsite.
The Story advocates for its core services among its longstanding stakeholders, but strong press coverage has also been attracting brand new audiences to its state-of-the-art facilities and multi-use site, making The Story a reputational triumph for Durham County Council.
Visitors to The Story can undertake traditional archive research, but they can also pop in for a coffee, register a life event or attend a Registry Office wedding. Whatever their reason for visiting The Story, the archive collection is designed to be embedded in their experience, whether that’s through images in the café, items on display or archive-inspired merchandise in the retail area.
The Story’s ambition, scope and offer are larger now than they would have been if the archive had stayed as a single service in a traditional setting. There are now more opportunities for advocacy and reputation-building, and the embracing of the service by the local community has been game-changing for Durham County Council.