Artefact Storage Solutions

Heritage museum glass door shelving

Newton Abbot Museum: Heritage Artefact Storage Solutions

At Polstore Storage Systems, we have supplied over 400 museums across the UK with storage solutions for their artefacts and collections. Museum storage solutions is a specialist area for Polstore, having worked with this sector for almost six decades.

In 2020, Polstore was approached by Newton Abbot Town Council to assist with part of the Newton’s Place project, which successfully restored the former Victorian St Leonard’s Church in the town centre.

Within the church would be a purpose-built museum, designed by the Creative Core, and Polstore were asked to help preserve and store its social history collection. The collection has around 17,000 objects which includes framed photographs and paintings, costume, locomotive models and much more.

The size of the collection was a contributing factor to the complexity of this project, however it was the new premises which gave the team a real challenge.

The whole collection was being relocated to its new home. As you can see from the pictures, being a former church, the museum storerooms weren’t the typical type of room our team would usually be fitting storage units within. One storage area includes the former choir vestry.

We understand that storage challenges are unique to each collector and its collection, which is why we treat it as such. We work with our clients from the outset to understand the desired outcome, help to develop ideas, prepare and budget. We spatially co-ordinate, manufacture and install ensuring on handover we have exceeded your expectations.

The storerooms at Newton Abbot Museum were difficult spaces to work around. Storage units had to be fitted around obstacles, like pipes. Project Director, Adam, took the plans which had been drawn up and made an onsite visit to see the space for himself. This gave Adam and his team additional insight and helped the client to get the most effective use of their space.

Felicity Cole, Curator at Newton Abbot Museum, was delighted with the installation, she told us: “The team that came down to install the storage units were very fast and efficient. We were very impressed and will definitely contact them again for future work”

At Polstore we believe that every storage solution we create should be exceptional. For museums and the heritage sector, we’re passionate about helping you to display your collections easily, whilst keeping them protected. Our storage and retrieval solutions can be used with any size of collection, big or small.

The longevity of any storage solution is important to all our clients. Polstores storage products are genuinely built to last. For our heritage clients, you’re protecting pieces of history for future generations for decades to come. That’s why our powder coated paint finishes have been SMART tested for various metals by the National Conservation Service with a positive result showing no apparent excess deterioration and off gassing.

The museum storage project demanded a variety of storage products due to wide variety of objects and artefacts to be stored. These now have been successfully housed in double skin shelving, wall hung mesh picture rack, an AO drawer storage plan chest, long span shelving and static art picture racking as well as glass-door shelving units to display objects for the ‘behind the scenes’ tours.

Whatever you have in your collection, Polstore Storage Systems is your trusted reliable partner for all your storage needs.

Adam did a brilliant job, as he had physically seen the space. He did a new plan to take into account the different spaces available in the storerooms and the objects we needed to store. And it works!

Felicity Cole
Curator, Newton Abbot Museum

Gallery

Heritage museum glass door shelving Museum artefact storage shelving Museum storage shelving Museum storage shelving

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Your storage challenge is unique and we treat it as such. We will work with you from the outset to develop your plans and create the perfect storage product solution for you.

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