The Harris Museum, Preston, Lancashire Building, Property Interior, Architecture Images
The Harris Museum in Preston, Lancashire
29 September 2025
Architects: Buttress
Location: Preston, Lancashire, Northwest England
Photos: Michael Porter Photography
The Harris Museum, Northwest England
Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) led the gallery redevelopment for the newly reopened Harris in Preston – part of a once-in-a-generation £16 million transformation that reimagines the building as a dynamic space for culture, learning and community.
RAA delivered exhibition planning, interpretation, wayfinding, content and graphics – shaping inclusive experiences across museum and library collections that invite curiosity, connection and cultural engagement.
Building on The Harris’s ambition to create a truly blended cultural experience, RAA developed a comprehensive design strategy that rethinks how visitors engage with collections, spaces and services. From early interpretation planning to final fit-out, the team crafted every aspect of the visitor journey through a unified spatial and visual language.
This project has reshaped The Harris into a vibrant civic hub where museum, library and gallery collections are seamlessly integrated across newly imagined environments. RAA’s design brings together interactive exhibits, digital storytelling and bold graphic interventions, all threaded through inviting public areas including a café, atrium and retail spaces. From signage and AV to showcases and furniture, every detail was coordinated to ensure a coherent, intuitive experience.
At a Glance
A unified cultural experience across museum, library and gallery collections
A coherent, intuitive visitor journey shaped from entrance to upper floors
Welcoming spaces that spark discovery, connection and civic engagement
Co-designed spaces with youth and community voices at the centre
Interactive exhibits, digital storytelling and bold graphic interventions
The Foucault Pendulum returns, repositioned 33 metres above the Rotunda
Reimagined public areas including café, atrium and retail spaces
Seamless integration of signage, AV, showcases and furniture
Project Vision and Ambition
The Harris Your Place project represents a bold reimagining of one of Lancashire’s most iconic buildings, designed to unlock its full potential as a cultural anchor for Preston and the wider region. Conceived as an accessible cultural hub, the transformation blends art, history, community and a refreshed library service into a seamless experience and public offer.
With increased collections now accessible to audiences, the building offers a richer, more dynamic experience for visitors of all ages. It is animated by participatory programmes, co-created displays and flexible spaces that invite creativity, conversation and connection. Welcoming an additional 100,000 visitors each year, it stands as a renewed civic landmark – open, inclusive and shaped by its communities. At its heart is a commitment to accessibility, wellbeing and civic pride.
Hands-on experiences, adaptable event spaces and displays reflecting the diversity of Preston’s past and present now define the public offer. RAA’s design response builds directly on these goals – shaping a visitor experience that is welcoming, intuitive and rich in cultural meaning. Through interpretive planning, exhibition design and strategic coordination, RAA helped realise the client’s vision for a revitalised institution that puts Preston firmly on the UK’s cultural map.
The Blended Approach
At the heart of RAA’s design is an inclusive rethink of how The Harris welcomes and connects with its visitors. This blended approach breaks down traditional divisions between museum, library and gallery spaces – offering an integrated cultural experience that’s welcoming, accessible and easy to navigate.
Audience research revealed that many local people accessed council services or borrowed books on the ground floor, but rarely ventured upstairs. For some, the museum and gallery felt unfamiliar or “not for them.” RAA’s design responds directly – redistributing collections across all levels and relocating book stock to upper floors. Visitors now encounter art, artefacts and literature in unexpected places – whether browsing in the café, pausing in the atrium, or exploring a gallery.
This blended approach is echoed and layered in the building’s interpretive scheme, which unfolds across three levels: stories on the ground floor explore The Harris’s civic role; the first floor reflects the people and communities of Preston; and the second floor connects to broader global narratives, with the pendulum acting as a vertical thread linking them all.
Developed through workshops with The Harris team, the blend was carefully calibrated in each space to balance storytelling, accessibility and civic purpose. Visitors now find themselves naturally immersed in collections, sparking curiosity, conversation and connection.
Precision in Motion: Rehanging the Pendulum
A much-loved feature at The Harris, the Foucault Pendulum returns as a striking animated centrepiece – now suspended from the rooflight 33 metres overhead and aligned with the compass rose in the Rotunda floor below.
This dramatic repositioning not only centres the pendulum within the atrium, but also activates the architectural geometry of the Rotunda – dropping from rooflight to compass rose, where a new base echoes the building’s radial symmetry. The result is a visually and conceptually unified axis, anchoring the pendulum within The Harris’s civic and architectural narrative.
Previously mounted off-centre in the Rotunda, its relocation marks a major design intervention by RAA, delivered in close collaboration with the client team. With no lift access to the required height, the pivot was fixed during building works while scaffolding filled the space – a one-off opportunity demanding technical precision and a choreographed response.
Its continuous motion is powered by a discreet floor-mounted electromagnet, developed in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire’s Physics Department. Led by Professors Brett Patterson and Derek Ward-Thompson, the team designed and tested the system to ensure reliable performance. Early R&D support was provided by Unusual Projects, with final delivery shaped through local collaboration and academic expertise. Now embedded within the building’s interpretive scheme, the pendulum acts as a thread connecting stories across all three levels.
Co-Designing with Communities
Building on the project’s commitment to civic collaboration, RAA worked closely with The Harris team and community stakeholders, including a Youth Panel and Caribbean community representatives, to help shape spaces that reflect local voices.
Young people, alongside museum staff, shaped their own gallery space by selecting artefacts, colours and script-writing interpretation labels. This dedicated social space for young people has been designed as a welcoming retreat to relax and connect within a vibrant setting where people come together.
These co-designed elements ensure that local voices are not only reflected in the reopening but embedded in the building’s ongoing public life. A flexible display case on the first floor balcony – developed through engagement with the local Caribbean community – will rotate annually to ensure other local groups also have a visible presence within the gallery.
Enhancing Navigation and Accessibility
RAA worked closely with the client, architects and brand designers to develop a holistic wayfinding system that enables visitors to easily navigate the building’s blended offer, including the Public Library, Museum, Art Gallery and Young People’s Space.
The directional signage provides clarity and confidence for users, helping them orient themselves and access the services they need. Designed to sit comfortably within the Grade I listed architecture, the system balances legibility with elegance, respecting the building’s heritage while supporting inclusive access throughout.
A Collaborative Delivery Team
Delivered in collaboration with a dedicated project team including Buttress Architects, Ridge and Partners (LLP), Focus Consultants and HUB Build – the project reflects a shared commitment to heritage, public engagement, and inclusive design. RAA’s subconsultants included Michael Grubb Studio, Sysco Productions, and Kendrick Hobbs. The University of Central Lancashire’s Physics Department also played a key role in developing the pendulum’s electromagnetic system, a local partnership that brought technical precision to the heart of the museum.
Funding the Future of Culture
The transformation of The Harris has been made possible thanks to the generous support of its funders and partners: Preston City Council, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the UK Government’s Towns Fund, Arts Council England, Lancashire County Council and contributions from trusts, foundations and individual donors. Their collective investment has safeguarded The Harris’s heritage and created vibrant new spaces for culture, learning and community. RAA is proud to have shaped the visitor experience – grounding it in place, designing for contemporary audiences and embedding principles of accessibility, sustainability and civic engagement.
Quotes
“We wanted The Harris to feel genuinely welcoming – a place where anyone might wander in, encounter an artwork or artefact unexpectedly, and feel drawn into the narrative. It offers a retreat for quiet reflection and also a gathering space where people can come for social interaction. By blending displays throughout the building, we’ve encouraged accidental discovery and created a space where people feel comfortable, curious and free to engage.”
– Sarah Pollard, Associate and Physical Design Director, RAA
“Working with RAA has been an inspiring and collaborative experience. Their creativity and attention to detail have helped transform The Harris into a space that truly reflects Preston’s rich cultural heritage while welcoming new audiences. We are thrilled to be able to share this revitalised venue with the community and to celebrate its reopening.”
– Timothy Joel, Assistant Director Head of Culture at Preston City Council
“This project has been a fantastic example of what can be achieved when vision, expertise, and community focus come together. Working with RAA has allowed us to reimagine The Harris in a way that honours its history while providing a modern, vibrant space for the people of Preston. We’re excited for residents and visitors alike to experience everything the renewed Harris has to offer.”
– Councillor Hindle, Cabinet Member for Culture and Art at Preston City Council
Neal Charlton, Director, Buttress Architects said: “Being part of The Harris’ transformation has been incredibly rewarding. It’s more than a building — it’s a symbol of Preston’s cultural heritage and future. This project ensures that everyone can access and enjoy the museum, library, and gallery in new, inclusive ways, while honouring the legacy that makes The Harris so special.”
Design: Ralph Appelbaum Associates – https://raai.com/
Architects: Buttress – https://buttress.net/
Photographer: Michael Porter Photography
The Harris Museum, Preston, Northwest England images / information received 290925
Location: Preston, West Lancashire, England, UK
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