Lancashire archives building needs new roof

Thursday, 8 January 2026 07:57

By Paul Faulkner

The building that houses some of Lancashire’s most precious historical documents needs a new roof.

The Lancashire Records Office, which stands alongside County Hall in Preston, holds the centuries-old story of Lancashire within its walls – with some of the 1.5 million items stored there dating back as far as the 1100s.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that work is set to begin imminently to ensure the Bow Lane building continues to properly protect the irreplaceable collection, after the roof was deemed to have reached the end of its life.

However, it is hoped that the fully-searchable archive will be able to remain open to the public for the duration of the roof renovation project, because of the construction method that will be used. Rather than removing the existing roof, a new one will instead be installed over the top of it.

Planning permission for the work – which will include solar panels and new fascia detail – was granted late last year by Lancashire County Council planning officers.

The building opened back in 1975 and contains the archives of local authorities and churches, as well as family papers, school records, maps and plans, and the records of businesses and societies.

The material relates both to what is known as ‘administrative Lancashire’ – reflecting the county’s current local government borders and so including the Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen council areas – and the ‘Lancashire County Palatine’, which incorporates parts of what have been Merseyside or Greater Manchester, for local authority purposes, since 1974, but were previously within Lancashire.

The new roof finish will be made of a ‘black mineralised felt’, with solar panels placed on the west, south and part of the east sides of the structure. A one-metre- high guard rail will also be installed around the perimeter of the roof.

The LDRS understands that renovation work on a part of the Lancashire Archives complex known as ‘The Stack’ – which stands on stilts – was completed last year.