The Tower of London’s architectural archive will be opened up to the public for the first time as part of a major redevelopment of the Unesco World Heritage Site.
A new Archive Study Centre will give students, researchers and heritage professionals access to more than 25,000 drawings, plans and surveys documenting more than 200 years of conservation, restoration and design work at the tower and five other royal palaces.
The centre is one of several new facilities that are being created as part of a new programme by Historic Royal Palaces (HRP), the charity that manages the site. The multi-year initiative, called Tomorrow’s Tower, will also involve the creation of two new learning centres, community spaces and an outdoor “green classroom” in the Tower’s moat—each designed by Jamie Fobert Architects.
Historic Royal Palaces says the investment will increase learning capacity by 250%, allowing annual school visits to grow from 125,000 to 200,000.
The programme is projected to cost a total of £70m. It is supported by a consortium of funders including The Julia Rausing Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Clore Duffield Foundation.
Revealing “the stories behind the buildings”
The archive space will form part of the new Julia Rausing Learning Centre, located in the historic Waterloo Block, which is being restored as part of the programme. It will bring together drawings, plans, surveys and designs relating to the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace, the Banqueting House and Hillsborough Castle & Gardens.
Vanessa Hodge, the head of records at Historic Royal Palaces, told The Art Newspaper: “While the collection spans from the early 19th century to the early 21st century, its greatest strength lies in the rich record it provides of 20th-century conservation and building work, preserving the plans, surveys and technical drawings that document how these historic sites were studied, adapted and protected in the modern era.”
She added: “The archive includes original architectural designs, working drawings, presentation plans, archaeological surveys, historical reconstructions and records of major conservation projects, offering a unique insight into the evolution of these iconic landmarks.”
Hodge said the new Archive Study Centre would “for the first time, provide a dedicated public space where students, researchers, heritage professionals and local communities can explore this extraordinary collection up close”.
“Opening access to these drawings will reveal the stories behind the buildings themselves—from ambitious restoration campaigns and archaeological discoveries to the day-to-day conservation work that has ensured their survival,” she said.
Alongside the archive, the redeveloped Waterloo Block will include education studios, an interactive broadcast studio for digital learning and spaces for teacher development, youth projects and community programmes. Elsewhere on the site, the Weston Learning & Community Centre will provide workshops and community facilities, while a new outdoor classroom designed by Grant Associates will support teaching on biodiversity, climate and heritage.
John Barnes, the chief executive of Historic Royal Palaces, said: “The Tower of London should be a place of learning, discovery and connection for everyone, and Tomorrow’s Tower is our long-term commitment to making that happen.”
