Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre plans revealed

Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre plans revealed

Feb 29, 2016  | Civil engineering 

Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre plans revealed
(Photo by: Arup, Purcell Architects)

Proposals for Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre (SPHC), a new heritage attraction located in Larkhill, have been unveiled.

Royal Artillery Museums Ltd is developing plans for a 6000 m2 museum which will offer visitors the unique opportunity to engage with the military history, natural heritage and archaeological features of the Plain, where the Royal Artillery has trained for over a hundred years.

Arup has been appointed by Royal Artillery Museums Ltd to provide structural, civil, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering as well as landscape architecture services for the new museum. The team will be working closely with the architects Purcell on the design.

The building is designed to capture dramatic views over the gallery spaces. It will look out over 22 kilometres of open countryside, just six minutes from the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge.

Once complete, SPHC will showcase a nationally important collection which tells the 300 year old story of the Gunners – and of the 2.5 million men and women of the regiment– in an interactive manner. This collection will feature alongside exhibits that detail the ecology, archaeology and history of Salisbury Plain.

Visitors of all ages and backgrounds will be engaged by live interpretation and re-enactments, firing demonstrations, interactive displays and temporary exhibitions. Learning programmes and resources will cater for school groups, academic organisations, families and lifelong learning.

“This really is a team effort. We are working closely with RAML and Purcell to produce a design for the museum that will allow it to sit sympathetically in this unique site of ecological and archaeological importance. We are excited to be part of such a unique project and to help realise this vision.”— Daniel Birch, Project Manager, Arup

The new museum will complement the unique environment of the Salisbury Plain. The new attraction will secure the future of the collection and contribute to the economic vitality of Wiltshire.

The next stage of the project is to develop the design for a planning submission in early 2017.

Via Arup
Image,video ©: Arup, Purcell Architects