And finally... New door opens on the county's history

The operation is part of a massive reorganisation programme, which includes moving a giant map of the city, before the opening of the new facility on Monday, April 30, by the Lord Lieutenant of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Sir Thomas Dunne.

It will be based in part of the former Co-op building in The Trinity.

St Helen's closed its doors for the last time yesterday.

Head of repository Teresa Nixon said it was a very sad day.

"Staff have worked here for more than 30 years," she added. "Some members of the public come here regularly to carry out research.

"Material stored here will be kept at the Record Office at County Hall, which will be closed until the end of the summer so everything can be sorted out."

The new centre will be the first place in the country where the public will be able to order microfilm of any of the worldwide information resources of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.

There will be twice as many microfilm readers as before and eventually it is hoped to organise teach-ins, day schools and evening classes to help people in their searches.

The centre will also be the first place in Worcestershire to benefit from extra internet terminals being installed in libraries as part of the People's Network Project.

County archivist Tony Wherry said the 14 terminals would be the first of 161 to be installed in libraries over the next two years, accessing national grids for learning and genealogical and local history materials.

"Historical material available in the cramped quarters of the Foregate Street library will be moved to the centre," he said.

"It's phase one of a much larger and more prestigious project where we hope to rebuild the rest of the former Co-op to incorporate the whole of the library, plus the records kept at the County Hall Record Office, in an architecturally-exciting building on one site."