Latest on archives project

The county's archives offer is being completely transformed and steelwork is going up in Crewe and Chester as progress ramps up.

Two new state-of-the-art archive centres – one in Crewe and one in Chester – will house records of the development of the historic county and its communities from the Middle Ages to the present day. These two buildings will replace the Cheshire Record Office in Chester.

Cheshire Archives Crewe is being built close to the Lifestyle Centre and Memorial Square in the town centre. Construction company Kier started on site earlier this year.

The former library and civic centre car park site has been cleared and completely revamped into new public space that features seating areas, trees, flower beds and lighting – creating an improved and more-attractive route for pedestrians between the Lifestyle Centre, Memorial Square and Crewe Market Hall.

Both new archives centres are scheduled for completion in summer 2026. The project has been made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity with a focus on research and education.

Cheshire Archives and Local Studies is a shared service of Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council and provides archive services for Warrington and Halton councils. It looks after the county's unique and irreplaceable written and pictorial history, which dates back more than 900 years.

The 'Cheshire's archives: a story shared' project, will transform the way the archives service works and open up the collections to new audiences and visitors.

The two new centres will feature exhibition and event spaces, new research rooms and workspace for staff and volunteers, as well as environmentally-stable storage for the archives.

While the archives team are preparing for the move to their new homes, Cheshire Record Office online archive services are still available, with copies of documents and research services able to be ordered and requested online. Libraries across Cheshire will continue to provide access to local history books and maps, as well as providing free online access to family history websites. More information on the project – including a link to the fly-through video – can be found at: Cheshire Archives Crewe