The Harris in Preston reopens after a £19 million transformation

After four years behind hoardings, one of Lancashire's finest buildings is back. The Harris in Preston, the Grade I-listed museum, art gallery and library on the Flag Market, officially reopened to the public on Sunday 28 September 2025.

The reopening marked the completion of the Harris Your Place project, a major refurbishment that local reporting put at £19 million. Earlier reports in 2024 had cited a £16 million fit-out, with Preston City Council contributing £1.375 million towards the work.

The building had been closed since 2021, and much of the effort went into work visitors will never see. Asbestos was removed from the roof, structural repairs were carried out, and heating, lighting and accessibility were all upgraded, giving the Victorian landmark a sound footing for the decades ahead.

The aim throughout was to keep the character of the building while updating it for modern audiences. Visitors returning after the reopening found an exhibition programme, learning spaces, family-friendly facilities, a new café and shop, and new heritage tours exploring the building itself.

The opening exhibition was a crowd-pleaser. A Case at the Museum featured a life-size recreation of Wallace and Gromit's living room, and the reopening was marked by the animator Nick Park, the Preston-born creator of the much-loved characters.

Ambitions for the revamped Harris are high. Organisers expected annual visitor numbers to rise by around 100,000 on top of the 350,000 recorded in 2021, and early reports suggest monthly visitor numbers have more than doubled since the doors reopened.

The Harris has always been more than a museum. Its combination of art, history and books under one grand roof has made it a civic living room for Preston, and the reopening has given the city centre a welcome boost of energy for residents and visitors alike.

Details of current exhibitions, heritage tours and family activities are published on The Harris website. If you have not been since it reopened, it is well worth making the trip to see a much-loved building looking its very best.