Florence Mine Heritage Centre
The Florence Mine Heritage centre, aims to tackle some of the issues that people in west Cumbria through community social activities: storytelling and creative workshops. At Florence Mine there is already an arts centre on the site; Florence Mine Heritage Centre is sympathetic to the established program and dedicated community with some linked activities such as theatre and paint making. Florence Mine Heritage Centre also provides addition space for other heritage crafts, a permanent mining exhibition, an additional temporary exhibition and offices, the space provides ways for local people to grow a closer connection with local heritage and nature as well as their creative side. Being positioned between the town of Egremont, a small town still populated partially by ex-miners, and the Lake district, it serves as a gateway between the people and nature. On the note of nature the design has a strong climate emergency strategy with minimal impact on the site in it’s overgrown state, with lightweight materials and using the existing structures as much as possible. The existing steel structure is reused in supporting the heritage centre building, as well as having a strategy for the structure to remain in place for reuse at the end of the heritage centres life, recycled and locally sourced materials are also used where possible.
