A turf-cutting ceremony has marked the start of work on a new £8.2m archive centre in Carlisle, Cumbria, UK, which will eventually house more than one million historical items.

The project will include the restoration and renovation of the Grade II-listed Lady Gillford's House at Petteril Bank, as well as the creation of a new glass-fronted structure alongside it to house records currently stored at Carlisle Castle. Cumbria County Council (CCC) has appointed Ilkley-based Quarmby Construction to build the new centre, which has been designed by architects Austin-Smith: Lord working alongside English Heritage.

Facilities at the new centre will include temporary and permanent exhibitions, a bookshop, community spaces for cultural activities, and educational facilities. Surrounding grounds will also be landscaped as part of the scheme, while pedestrian and cycle links to the Petteril Valley will be upgraded. Work is expected to take a year to complete, before a six-month process gets underway to relocate the extensive archive collection ahead of the centre's scheduled opening date in autumn 2010.

In 2007, the Heritage Lottery Fund contributed £4.8m towards the project, the largest grant ever awarded in Cumbria. Funding has also been provided by the council. Stewart Young, CCC leader, said: "As well as creating a new landmark building that everyone in Cumbria can be proud of, this multi-million pound project will also bring vital jobs and investment into Carlisle.

"Lady Gillford's House is one of the most well-known and well-loved buildings in Carlisle, and transforming it into Cumbria Archives will restore it so that everyone can have access to it and appreciate it's charm."