City archives move to Molineux Hotel latest

Released: Thursday, April 5, 2007

Another decision has been announced that brings closer the start of work to convert and extend the Molineux Hotel to house the City Archives and Local Studies service.

The Trustees of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) have now given their final approval to a £3.3 millions grant towards the overall cost. The Fund had already previously agreed to set aside this sum whilst the city council finalised detailed plans of the project.

This decision endorses HLF’s full support for the city council’s plans, including for the future development of the City Archive and Local Studies service in its new home.

The council’s design team is currently working to finalise plans for what will be a major construction project lasting about 70 weeks.

A start will be made on site in mid-April, when the first thing to happen will be the demolition of a small building that will make way for the large new extension where the documents will be stored. This building is a former Manager’s House, largely re-built in the early twentieth century.

All of the public functions such as reception, research and study rooms, will be located in the old, main Molineux Hotel building.
 
Planning permission and listed building consent have already been granted.
Part of Molineux Alley will be closed for the duration of the building contract for health and safety reasons.

The grade II* listed building has been vacant since 1979. An arson attack in June 2003 devastated what was already a building seriously at risk. The City acquired the building in February 2004 and the first stage of rescue and restoration works was completed a year ago.

Explaining the importance of the project, HLF’s Regional Manager Anne Jenkins, said: “The Molineux Hotel is a key building in Wolverhampton that deserves to be opened up to as many people as possible.  From a stunning hotel, to a fire ravaged empty building and now a community space for the whole town, this historic building and its fascinating history will now be given a new lease of life.”

Issued by: the Press Office