Redruth archive centre to get lottery funding

Kresen Kernow will be based in Redruth

A project to create a £15m Cornish archive centre will receive nearly £400,000 in Heritage Lottery funding.

The money will fund development plans for Kresen Kernow, which will be created at the former Redruth Brewery.

Cornwall Council has already pledged £4m towards the scheme and a further £1m towards the acquisition of the site.

Kresen Kernow will create a body of material for the study of Cornish archaeology, history and culture.

The new archive centre will bring together collections that document Cornwall's heritage in the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

'Redruth roots'

Kresen Kernow, which is Cornish for Cornwall Centre, will also conserve the brewery buildings in Redruth.

The town's brewery, which was founded by William Davey in 1742, closed in 2004.

George Eustice, MP for Camborne and Redruth, said: "I have always said that Redruth is at the heart of Cornish heritage.

"A quarter of the six million people around the world with Cornish ancestry can trace their roots back to Redruth."

Judy Davidson, the mayor of Redruth, said: "The project gives us all hope for Redruth's future.

"The derelict brewery site is an eyesore at the entrance to this historic town. The proposal will transform the area for residents."

A Heritage Lottery Fund spokesperson said they "loved the strong golden thread of Cornish storytelling running through all the plans".

Having been awarded the initial funding of £386,800, the project now has two years to submit full proposals in its bid for a further £9m of lottery funding.