There’s a rare chance to step inside the original strongroom where the nation’s public records were once housed as part of a new immersive audio exhibition.
The Public Records Building was constructed in the 1850s next to Chancery Lane in the City of London and is claimed to have been the first purpose-built fireproof building in England. To further minimise the risk of fire, the document storerooms were designed as compartmentalised closed cells.
One of the document cells remains in its original condition, including its bookcases and fireproof slate shelves. And it will open to the public next month as part of a new polyphonic sound installation by Terence Gower.
The installation will present a largely forgotten episode of North American history: the Invasion of Quebec during the American War of Independence. Drawing on his research, the artist interlaces multiple perspectives from the military campaign, while considering the limitations of the archive itself.
As visitors navigate between the metal and slate shelves of the Cell, they will hear accounts from congressional leaders and soldiers on the front line, proclamations by King George III, and transcripts of speeches by Indigenous leaders, asserting their own continuing sovereignty over the lands being contested by imperial and revolutionary forces.
The duration of the audio installation is approximately 30 minutes.
The presentation is complemented by an exhibition of related rare books and historical documents from the period in the library’s Weston Room, curated by Gower with Katie Sambrook and colleagues at the Foyle Special Collections Library.
The exhibition, Enemies and Rascals, will take place at the Maughan Library (entrance on Chancery Lane), from 3rd July to 18th October 2026.
Entry is free, and tickets must be booked in advance here.
Enemies and Rascals by Terence Gower is commissioned and produced by Artangel.