Ushaw Archive Consultant

Ushaw is a unique heritage site located in County Durham, which operated from 1808 until 2010 as a seminary for the training of Catholic priests. It combines a rich Catholic history with stunning Georgian and Victorian architecture, historic chapels, and beautifully curated gardens. Ushaw’s Big Library, together with our archive holdings, is one of Britain’s most extraordinary historic libraries. We want to offer consistent access to this amazing resource and are seeking specialist archive support to improve access to our archive collection and advise on a roadmap to a sustainable future.

The primary goals for this consultancy are to:

• Make recommendations as to how Ushaw administers and operates its archive search room
• Determine optimum approaches for collections care and conservation
• Lead on business planning, making recommendations for revenue models, with a mix of income streams. We envisage this will include licensing, curriculum-linked education activities and wider partnerships, while preserving the archive’s integrity
• Create an audience development plan for our archive offer

To see the Archive Consultant Brief in full, please visit here

To submit your proposal or for any questions, please email: Andrew Heard, Visitor Programme Manager at [email protected]

The deadline for proposals is Friday 27 November 2026.

This project is supported by The National Archives – Archives Resilience funding.