Home to more than 1,000 years of Dorset's history, the county's archive centre is running out of space. Now, ambitious plans are taking shape to protect its collections for generations to come.
16th August 2026
From historic photographs and maps to films, sound recordings and centuries-old documents, Dorset History Centre in Dorchester holds an extraordinary record of life across the county.
Some of its records date all the way back to AD 965, documenting the people, places and communities that have shaped Dorset over more than 1,000 years.
But there's an increasingly pressing problem that Dorset is running out of room for its own history. More than 35 years after the current History Centre opened, its environmentally controlled archive repositories are now around 96% full.
A major new project is hoping to change that...
Dorset Council has secured around £603,000 in development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a project called Past Lives, Future Proofed.
The funding will support an approximately 18-month development phase, during which detailed plans for the future of Dorset History Centre will be created. Proposals being explored include additional environmentally controlled archive storage, potentially providing around 30 more years of collecting capacity.
Visitors could also notice significant changes. Plans include improvements to public areas alongside a new entrance and reception, with the wider ambition of making Dorset's historical collections easier and more enjoyable for residents, visitors and researchers to discover.
Creating additional storage is only one part of the project. Dorset History Centre is also looking at how the county's changing story can continue to be collected and preserved as more of our everyday lives move online.
Alongside traditional photographs, maps and written records, today's history increasingly exists in the form of digital photographs, videos, websites and other electronic records. The Past Lives, Future Proofed project will explore how this material can be protected for the long term, ensuring future generations can continue to discover how Dorset and its communities have evolved.
The project will also seek to involve communities whose experiences may currently be under-represented within the archives, helping the collection reflect a broader picture of life across the county. It's a reminder that Dorset's history is being created every day through the places we live, the communities around us and the changes continually shaping the county.
Maintaining an archive of this scale also comes with environmental challenges.
Historic documents need carefully controlled conditions to protect them from deterioration. Previous work at Dorset History Centre introduced a largely passive air-handling approach designed to significantly reduce the electricity required to maintain suitable conditions inside its repositories.
Dorset Council estimated the improvements could reduce electricity consumption by around 80%, saving approximately 90 tonnes of CO₂e and £20,000 each year.
The project remains in its development stage.
If the current phase is successful, a further application is expected to be made to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for approximately £3.8 million towards delivering the plans.If the project progresses successfully through its next stages, the main delivery programme could potentially take place between approximately 2028 and 2031.
Community engagement, consultation and volunteering are also expected to play a role as the proposals develop.
Ultimately, this is about much more than finding additional shelf space. Dorset History Centre is responsible for protecting more than a millennium of the county's collective memory. The centre ensures there's enough room to preserve Dorset's stories.
Last Updated: August 2026
Spanish
Chinese (simplified)
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Polish
Romanian
Russian
