£11.7m lottery funding sees plans move forward for Cornwall archive centre

Remarkable news coming out of the county over the past couple of days, as a 10 year campaign for a Cornwall archive centre is awarded significant lottery funding.

What was once Redruth Brewery, the site is set to be transformed into the home of the world's largest collection of Cornwall's written heritage, adding to the wealth of history you can discover during your holidays in Cornwall.

The project, named Kresen Kernow, has propelled forward in recent days after the Heritage Lottery Fund injected an unbelievable £11.7million into the plans.

Kresen Kernow will be populated with collections of manuscripts, books, maps and photographs from all over Cornwall.

John Whittingdale, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said from the site: “National Lottery money continues to make an absolutely vital contribution to our culture and heritage in the UK.”

“I am delighted that this investment will help safeguard the historic brewery buildings at the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.”

“The new archive centre at the Redruth brewery will be home to the world's largest collection of manuscripts, books and maps related to Cornwall and will inspire people of all ages by showcasing their rich and distinct history for future generations.”

Work will begin in 2016, with completion expected in 2018.

The new exhibition will transform how the internationally significant collections of archaeology, history, literature and culture are shared with visitors of all ages and nationalities.

Despite the reconstruction of the old site, the brewery's history will be celebrated at the heart of the new centre – displays of artefacts, documents and memories will inform visitors of its working past.

Due to the worldwide interest in the region, the new archive is expected to attract visitors from as far as South Africa and Australia, as well as UK based visitors like you guys staying at our Cornwall holiday parks.