Thousands of documents charting the history of Stoke-on-Trent and the pottery industry now have a new £1.7 million home.

The new archives and reading room at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley were officially opened on Tuesday, following the relocation from the former City Central Library next door.

Rooms in the museum which had previously been used for storage have now been turned into 'state of the art' archives, complete with hi-tech environmental controls, holding 344 cubic metres of material ranging from beautiful artwork from the Minton collection to recordings of Radio Stoke programmes. The reading room, which opens to the public on Wednesday, includes a bespoke counter and furniture, thanks to a contribution from the Friends of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Archive Service.

Lord Mayor, Lyn Sharpe, cut the ribbon on the reading room at the opening ceremony (Stoke-on-Trent City Council).

Stoke-on-Trent City Council moved the archive to the museum after previously relocating the City Central Library service to the nearby Two Smithfield building. The now-vacant library building is set to be converted into flats, once plans are approved.

The move from the library took several weeks and involved the relocation of 8,000 archive boxes, 2,500 large items, 137 Minton design folio and 30,000 audio tapes. Lord Mayor Lyn Sharpe cut the ribbon on the reading room at the opening ceremony, before being taken on a tour of the new facilities with other guests.

Archive workers showed off the various treasures in the collection, including one recent addition – a document signed by Queen Victoria which granted Stoke-on-Trent municipal borough status in 1874. The document was acquired after a member of the public had found it for sale on eBay.

Jane Ashworth believes it is important that residents have access to historical documents (LDRS).

Council leader Jane Ashworth believes it is important that residents in the city have access to historical documents such as this.

She said: "This new archive shows our serious commitment to our past, as well as our serious ambition for our future. With the centenary of Stoke-on-Trent becoming a city coming up next year, I think it was really important that we have this facility that will help people learn more about Stoke-on-Trent's past, and understand where they came from."

Archives service manager Louise Ferriday says the new modern facility will make it easier to keep the fragile archive materials in good condition while also improving access.

The space has a new reading room with bespoke furniture and shelves (Stoke-on-Trent City Council).

She said: "This is a significant improvement on what we had before – it's a state of the art archive. At the library we were occupying an area which had been library space, but here we have a purpose-build reading room with bespoke furniture, and shelves designed for the items they hold. The old archive wasn't as accessible and it was probably a little bit dangerous."

The archive project was started under the council's previous Conservative administration. Former cabinet member Lorraine Beardmore said: "To see this go from the initial idea I had for the archives to what we see today has been absolutely amazing. It's better than I ever could have imagined. It's a new special place for our city's history that people can access. Before they were hidden away in the library and lots of people wouldn't have known they were there."

Andrew Wood, managing director at contractor Overbury, said: "Working in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to relocate the archives has been a real privilege for us. The community and historical value of the project never escaped us, and that's why we consulted with the National Archives to ensure we incorporated comprehensive environmental controls, including temperature and lighting, and the careful movement of racking slides to meet their exacting specifications and standards. This Scape-procured project guarantees the long-term protection and accessibility of these national treasures. We are proud to have played our part in their journey."

Plans to turn the former library building into 106 flats, which included proposals for a four-storey extension, were submitted last summer. But the application was blocked by the city council due to a number of 'significant' concerns.

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