A new centre which stores historic documents relating to the county of Powys was officially opened in Llandrindod Wells.

The Leader of Powys County Council, Cllr Rosemarie Harris officially launched the new Archives and Information Management Service, marking an investment of £1.6m by the council to safeguard these important documents.

The documents relate to the county’s history, including court records and family history records, and date back to as early as 1318.

The centre, at 29 Ddole Road, Llandrindod Wells, also houses archive documents for the county council.

The investment has seen the council-owned industrial estate units remodelled and extended to provide a long term home for the historical documents.

Equipment to ensure the humidity and temperature control has been installed and improved customer facilities, including access for people with disabilities, provided.

Cllr Harris said: “I’m very pleased that this project has been finished on time and within budget as we now have a long-term home for these very important items which also, importantly, provides a much better service to our residents and to those who travel from all over the world to access these documents, often as part of their family history research.”

Previously, the service operated out of cramped accommodation near County Hall which had poor access for people with disabilities and was closed over lunch.

Cllr Harris added: “It’s very pleasing that we can now offer a better service to our customers.

“The Archive Service brings many visitors to Llandrindod Wells, and in turn they stay in local hotels and B&Bs, and also eat out and shop locally. As such, it makes a significant contribution to the local economy.”

If you would like to access the documents available – perhaps as part of researching your family tree – you can find out more information, including booking an appointment to visit, at www.powys.gov.uk /en/ archives/find-archives-local-records/