1894 Harris Free Library, Museum and Art Gallery opens

Postcard showing the Harris Free Library and Museum, dated 1911

In 1877 Edmund Harris, a Preston lawyer left £300,000 to the town of Preston. One third of this money was used to build a library, museum and art gallery. The remainder was used to establish the Harris Institute and the Harris Orphanage.

When the Harris Free Library, Museum and Art Gallery opened in 1894 it provided a free educational resource open to everyone in the town. It is also one of the finest buildings in Preston's town centre.

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