Carlisle heritage centre opens to public
An archive centre containing about a million historical objects from Cumbria has opened at a cost of £8.2m.
The centre, formerly based at Carlisle Castle, has moved to a renovated Grade II* listed building at Petteril Bank.
Cumbria County Council said if all the documents stored in the building were piled on top of each other, the stack would be more than four miles high.
The archive includes the Royal Charter of the City from 1316. The project took nine years to complete.
The archive provides an insight into the places and people of Cumbria from the 12th Century to the present day.
It also preserves vital practical information on things such as boundaries and rights of way.
The centre, based at the Georgian Lady Gillford's House, now boasts a glass front which houses the main archive vault and public study area.