Durham's cutting-edge new museum and archive has been delayed - though over a mile of artefacts, documenting the County's history, have been moved into their new home.
Durham County Council have confirmed that the project, named The Story, and located on Mount Oswald, is now not expected to open until early summer this year.
Initially, it was estimated that this would be finished sometime in 2023, but with six miles and 900 years of Durham's history moving, it has proved a complex and time-consuming job.
Alison Clark, Durham County Council’s head of culture, sport and tourism, said: “The Story is an ambitious project which will be home to some of our most important heritage collections and a place for life-changing events.
"Transforming a Grade II listed manor house and developing a state-of-the-art extension to create a world-class facility has been a complex construction project.
"The main works are now complete and we are in the process of carefully packing and moving items from their current homes to The Story.
"This includes 10km of archive and county records, and every birth, death and marriage certificate since 1837.
"When complete, The Story will be a place to discover the past, celebrate the present, and create the future of County Durham. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to this wonderful new attraction for the county in the early summer."
It's been a painstaking process preparing to move items from County Hall to The Story, on Mount Oswald at the other end of the city.
Carolyn Ball, archivist for Durham County Council, explained: "We have over six miles of archives to move from strong rooms in County Hall to strong rooms in The Story.
"It's been a complex process mapping each shelf onto its new home, and we've got complicated spreadsheets showing us where everything should go.
"But, the planning and preparation that has gone into it the move that means so far the process has been smooth. We hit a mile [of archives moved] in December - that's equivalent to over 3,000 shelves!"
The items, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle mapping out Durham's rich history, are delicate. Conservator Lindsey Gibson admitted to having "anxiety dreams" over the last few months while working to pack up the fragile archives.
Her job as a conservator involves ensuring meticulous care is taken over items, many of which are one of a kind, providing unique and invaluable insight into the past.
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But changes of just one degree in temperature, or small spikes in humidity could see the precious artefacts, which document County Durham's history from the 12th Century, degrade. All hands are on deck to ensure everything reaches Mount Oswald still in prime condition.
With tens of thousands of items moved over already - including plans, marriage licenses and death certificates, newspaper tomes, ledgers, and even a royal seal and letters patent from King George III granting the Earl of Strathmore a title as Barron of Streetlam - The Story is starting to take shape.
Carolyn adds: "Just the other day, we were saying The Story was starting to smell like a proper archive!"
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