Willmott Dixon was appointed contractor for the £34M Plymouth History Centre project.

The firm will transform the City Museum and Art Gallery, Central Library and St. Luke’s Church into a cutting-edge, interactive centre that attracts thousands of visitors a year. The facility is set to open in spring 2020 as part of Plymouth’s 400th anniversary commemorations for the Mayflower ship sailing from Plymouth to America, and will provide a new home for the city's historic collections.

The History Centre will include exhibition and gallery spaces, including five permanent galleries, five exhibition spaces for local and national touring exhibitions, and six spaces for specific artistic projects. Galleries will celebrate and explore subjects such as Plymothians who have been influential on the world stage, the city's relationship with the Royal Navy, life in Plymouth below the waterline, Plymouth's prehistoric landscape and the West Country's artistic legacy, including Sir Joshua Reynolds, the Cottonian Collection and the Newlyn School of Artists.

Willmott Dixon will work with Plymouth City Council through a pre-contract agreement to develop the building and construction elements of the project and prepare the site for a second-stage contract award this autumn.

Willmott Dixon is growing in the South West, following the opening of its Exeter office and the project to build a home for the Met Office’s new supercomputer.