Visitors will get the chance to explore a trove of historic treasures during a series of behind-the-scenes tours at Cornwall’s archive centre.

Kresen Kernow (Cornwall Centre) is inviting people to see inside its strongrooms, which are specialist rooms used to store fascinating documents, books, photographs and maps. 

The strongrooms are usually out of bounds to the public but will be open for the tours as part of this year’s Heritage Open Days. Organised by the National Trust, the open days encourage people to discover hidden places and try out new experiences, and the theme for this year’s festival is routes.

Amanda Crago, Programme Support Officer at Kresen Kernow, said: “The story of Cornwall and its people reaches far and wide around the world. Miners from Cornwall were sought after for their expertise, and they took many of their customs with them, like the Cornish pasty.

“The team at Kresen Kernow have selected some incredible documents for the people who book on our tours for Heritage Open Days to see. We have letters from a young man who worked in America and a diary from a lady who travelled on a Packet ship in 1822 to the Caribbean.”

Built within the former Redruth Brewery, Kresen Kernow has 14 miles of shelving and looks after over 1.5 million items all about Cornwall, dating back over 850 years. Visitors can browse the library and exhibitions, carry out research and request documents from the collections to view in the archive space.

Councillor Carol Mould, portfolio holder for Neighbourhoods at Cornwall Council, said: “Kresen Kernow is such a fantastic place to explore and celebrate Cornwall’s history and heritage. I am delighted that people will have the chance to see inside the strongrooms and strongly recommend that people pay the centre a visit.”

The free tours are limited to 15 people per tour and can be booked through tickettailor.com.

The tours will be held on the following dates:

· Saturday, September 7 – 10.30am and 2pm 

· Tuesday, September 10 – 10.30am and 2pm

· Wednesday, September 11 – 6pm

· Saturday, September 14 - 10.30am and 2pm

Kresen Kernow is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday - 9.30am to 4pm.