Plans to close Denbighshire county archives and merge with Flintshire to be discussed

Plans to close Denbighshire’s archives in Ruthin and move them to Mold will be discussed by county councillors next week.

The move will see the archives in Ruthin Gaol closed down and a new home out of county next to Theatr Clwyd in the Flintshire county town.

The replacement building will cost £16.6 million, and work is expected to begin in 2022.

Next Thursday’s meeting of the communities scrutiny committee in Ruthin will discuss the plans to merge and move the archives.

Counillors will be told that the Ruthin site in no longer viable due to a lack of space.

A report to members said: “The delivery of an accommodation solution to the issue of no more repository space in Ruthin Gaol by 2021 and cost avoidance of having to use commercial storage and replace the environmental management system and equipment at Ruthin Gaol now coming to the end of its life.

The building at Mold will be future proofed in terms of repository size and 80% cheaper to run due to its Passivhaus design providing a simplified and lower carbon solution to deliver strict environmental condition standards.”

It added that a new modern facility will allow for displays of material that are currently unseen by the public.

“A higher quality facility archive building within which national treasures relating to Denbighshire can be conserved and showcase via specialised exhibition space. For example, The Cerrigydrudion Crown, 405-380 BCE, currently held in The National Museum Wales and the extensive Welsh language Bible collection which is currently in storage and not accessible for public view,” the report added.

By Shane Brennan – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).