DeepStore, the underground storage company, has been chosen by Colchester Museum to house its archaeological archive.

As part of a 10-year contract with the museum’s owner, Colchester Borough Council, the museum will store items that include bulk material such as pottery, animal bone and records and plans from excavations that have received box grant funding.

Tom Hodgson, Colchester Museum Manager, said: “We were aware of a regional borough council that was using DeepStore for their archives and we chose DeepStore for their reputation in the field of archaeological storage. DeepStore has given Colchester Borough Council an effective off-site solution for the long-term storage of archaeological material that needs to be retained, but is not consulted on a frequent basis.”

The unique underground facilities were developed as an alternative use for the space created from mining millions of tons of rock salt in Britain’s largest salt mine – owned and operated by parent company, Compass Minerals. The mine has the capacity to extract 1.5 million tons annually, 150 metres below the surface.

DeepStore currently operates an area 700 times the size of Wembley football pitch. With the continuous rock salt mining activity, it has the capacity for future expansion into an area of over 500 million cubic feet so will never be short of space.

Craig Trimby, DeepStore's Head of Sales, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed by Colchester Museum and to be working in partnership with Tom and his team. The mine has consistent temperature and humidity levels and is also naturally free from ultraviolet light, vermin and flooding, making it the perfect environment for storing their historical documents and artefacts.”

DeepStore, which has more than 1,000 public and private sector clients, is committed to providing the total storage solution with over-ground storage facilities available in Bromley-by-Bow. Clients of DeepStore's door-to-door nationwide service also benefit from DeepStore’s scan-on-demand service.

www.deepstore.co.uk