The Harris Museum, Art Gallery and Library in Preston is the focus of a new series of short films by Buttress Architects as launched today (Monday 28 September) to coincide with the one-year anniversary of The Harris’ re-opening following its restoration programme.
Project Voices is a short series of three-minute-long films which showcases the people behind the projects. In the case of The Harris, those selected include a team leader, the decorative art curator and a regular volunteer. All three films will be teased out on Buttress’ website and social media channels.
The launch film features Sophie Teale who is a Team Leader at The Harris whose favourite part of the building is the library. Sophie sees first-hand the bustling galleries and welcomes the many visitors who spend hours exploring the building.
Watch via the links below
Film and photo credits: Not Quite Light
The second film focuses on Scott Schiavone who is the Decorative Art Curator at The Harris, who helps care for a collection of more than 60,000 objects. He is careful to preserve the stories, artwork and artefacts that connect generations of visitors with Preston's past, present and future.
The third film centres on Pat Fogg who is born and bred in Preston. Pat is a former history teacher with fond memories of visiting The Harris with her mum each week to return their library books. Today, she volunteers with the textile collection and is also part of the Highlight Talks Team.
Last September (2025), the reopening of The Harris was a culmination of Preston's most ambitious cultural investment to transforming it into a dynamic 21st-century destination while preserving its historic significance. The renovation has created 23 separate visitor spaces across 60,000 square feet, including new galleries, learning spaces, family facilities, café and shop. The building also features a new blended library throughout, supported by a £1.375M contribution from Lancashire County Council.
Working with the Grade I-listed status of The Harris and its magnificent architecture created an opportunity for Buttress to create something unique.
The project was always about much more than restoring the fabric. It was about understanding what makes The Harris special and then deliberately reshaping how the building works so that it could become a more open, connected and useful museum, gallery, library and civic space. The success The Harris is seeing now was not accidental; it was planned into the project from the outset.
Seeing the building busy, how people are using it, and hearing their own reflections through our Project Voices films is a powerful confirmation that the strategy worked.
*The release of the Project Voices’ films coincides with the latest exhibition at The Harris. Celebrate 80 years of Horrockses Fashions - ‘Horrockses Fashions: Everyday Glamour and The Art of British Ready-to-Wear’ - runs from 19 September to 31 January 2027. Approximately 60 dresses, archival material and exciting loans will be on display in the largest Horrockses Fashions exhibition ever staged. More information can be found here: Horrockses Fashions: Everyday Glamour & the Art of British Ready-to-Wear - The Harris