Dursley Heritage Centre

Dursley's Heritage Centre has been open since the beginning of 2005 and has proved very popular with visitors from far and wide. It occupies a very central position, close to the Methodist Church and opposite the Market House and St. James Church. It actually adjoins the old Jacob's House building which has been fully restored and is now occupied by Dursley Town Council.

The building houses a number of displays relating Dursley's past as well as a range of artefacts that all serve to tell a story. It is entirely run by volunteers so if you're interested in helping please see the Volunteer page. Opening hours are given below:

February to November: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (10:30 to 12:30)

December (first two weeks): Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (10:30 to 12:30)

January: Saturdays only (10:30 to 12:30)

Please check with the Heritage Centre before travelling any distance as the opening hours occasionally have to change due to volunteer availability (info@dursleyhc.org.uk).

	Picture Gallery (Click on picture for larger view)

			Work begins Equipment gets moved on to the site as the foundations are dug. (February 1st 2004)

			The girders are gone The unsightly vertical girders have been removed and some of the bricks delivered. (February 15th 2004)

			Castle Street location The site is actually adjacent to Castle Street as is clearly seen here. (February 15th 2004)

			Framework goes up The building takes shape as the steel framework gets erected. (February 28th 2004)

			Central location The centre's location close to the Methodist Church and Jacob's House is clearly visible in this picture. (February 29th 2004)

			Roof timberwork in place Glorious weather has allowed good progress with some of the roof timbers now in place. (March 7th 2004)

			Looking inside The Heritage Centre is built against one wall of Lloyds TSB Bank whose side entrance is visible on the right. (March 7th 2004)

			Roof boarding begins The weather has turned for the worse but further progress is still visible on the roof. (March 13th 2004)

			Roof battens added Boarding is complete and the roof battens are in place in preparation for the slates. (March 21st 2004)

			Roof Slating begins Slates begin to be added to the roof battens giving some protection at last. (March 27th 2004)

			Progress slows Not much change over the last two months but this is due to ongoing work on the adjacent Jacob's (Weaver's) House. (May 30th 2004)

			The roof is finished Removal of the scaffolding on Jacob's House work has allowed work to restart on the heritage centre building and completion of the slate roof is an obvious sign that things have moved on. (July 18th 2004)

			The wall panels go in The pink undercoat has been applied to the support pillars and the wall panels have been installed. (August 6th 2004)

			Exterior nears completion The building is now externally structurally complete and work can begin on internal fitting out. The fine appearance of the restored Jacob's House is also clearly visible here. (August 28th 2004)

			In its true colours The final colours have been applied and only a small amount of external work on the surrounding ledge remains before internal fitting out can begin. (October 17th 2004)

			Official Opening Day Attended by a large number of visitors the ribbon is cut at the entrance to Dursley Heritage Centre. (January 15th 2005)

			Inside the Heritage Centre The inside of the Heritage Centre is bright and airy with artefacts and information occupying all of the available space. (January 15th 2005)