THE prominent, town-centre building which houses Warrington Museum and Library and Central Library is set for a renovation.

Culture Warrington and LiveWire, which together run library, museum, arts, archives and heritage services from the building on behalf of Warrington Borough Council, will undertake the rejuvenation of the more than 150-year-old structure.

They plan to increase links between the museum and library services, implement cosmetic improvements and align the activities and opening hours of the building, including Sunday opening for the first time.

To celebrate this new project we have taken a look back at the history of the culturally-central, building.

Warrington Borough Council originally opened the museum and library in May 1848, as the first of its kind to be founded under the 1845 Museum’s Act.

Honorary heritage curator for Culture Warrington, Janice Hayes said: “This was thanks to a partnership between the newly formed borough of Warrington and a group of trustees, which is a nice parallel to how Culture Warrington and LiveWire are governed today.”

Janice continued: “The people of Warrington flocked to make use of their new facility and by 1853 it had outgrown its temporary premises in Friars Gate and the search began for a new home.”

The foundation stone at the site situated on the corner of Museum Street and Bold Street was laid on September 22, 1855 by William Beaumont, the first Mayor of Warrington, and the building opened in December 1857.

The site was later extended along Museum Street, allowing for the growth of the library and creation of a new art gallery which opened October 4, 1877.

The building also became home to Warrington’s School of Art, created by the Mechanics Institute to help young artists find work in industry.

By the 1930s the museum and library were separate entities sharing one building, much as Warrington Museum and Art Gallery and Central Library have co-habited in recent years.

Extra display space was created by the addition of a mezzanine gallery in the 1990s and in 2013 the Cabinet of Curiosities gallery was opened thanks to support from Heritage Lottery Fund to showcase the museum’s extensive and historically-important collections.

It is set to reopen after the work on September 14.