Cornwall Council has announced that South West firm Midas Construction has been awarded a prestigious contract to build Kresen Kernow, the new archive centre for Cornwall.

The scheme has been funded by a grant of £11.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Cornwall Council and building work is due to start next month. 

The Kresen Kernow scheme will transform the former brewhouse on the Redruth Brewery site into a modern archive and library space, bringing together the world’s largest collection of manuscripts, books and records related to Cornwall.

During construction Midas will convert the remaining historic brewhouse into public spaces which will include learning rooms, exhibition areas and a range of research facilities to enable people from across Cornwall and around the world to enjoy the collections.