New History Gallery 2012

2012 is the year of the next Preston Guild, a unique and ancient celebration held in Preston only every 20 years.

The new history gallery is a flagship Preston Guild project which will create an exciting new space at the Harris. It will open in time for the Preston Guild and is set to inspire local people and visitors to the city and be a lasting legacy of 2012.

We have now been awarded over £1.5 million to make the project a reality and would like to thank the Heritage Lottery Fund and all of our other funders for their support.

The Story of Preston gallery on the first floor of the Harris Museum is now closed and work is underway to completely transform it into a new history gallery called Discover Preston - an engaging space filled with new stories investigating Preston’s history and collections in a fresh new way. It will also complement and reveal the Harris Museum’s architecture and historic views from the building.

A new Discovery Room in the gallery will provide lively opportunities for visitors to investigate our collections more closely and explore the hidden stories of old favourites like the 12,000 year old Poulton Elk.  It will also provide a modern and fully equipped space for events and workshops.

Please note the history gallery (The Story of Preston) is now closed, with work now underway to prepare the new gallery for opening in summer 2012.

For news and updates on the project please join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter . Alternatively, to join our mailing list, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it putting “New History Gallery” in the subject box.


Supported by

Preston City Council
Heritage Lottery Fund
Friends of the Harris Museum & Art Gallery
The Harris Free Public Library & Museum Endowment Trust
The Monument Trust
The Foyle Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
Renaissance North West
English Heritage
Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund
Preston Historical Society
The Harold & Alice Bridges Charity
Public donations