A sneaky glimpse inside The Hive

The covers were temporarily pulled off the inside of The Hive this week, giving residents a sneaky glimpse of how the landmark building is progressing.

Due to open this summer, Europe's first joint public and university library is now being decorated with new furniture and state-of-the-art equipment in readiness for its grand unveiling. On Tuesday representatives from the local media were invited to cast their eyes over The Hive's exciting and innovative interior, which will soon be home to over a quarter of a million books, 12miles of the county's archives in the venue's history centre, a business lounge, children's library and customer contact centre.

The Hive is a joint project run by Worcestershire County Council and the University of Worcester. The keys to the building were officially handed over to the council and university from construction firm Galliford Try on January 27th

Kathy Kirk, the County Council's Libraries and Learning Manager, said: "The Hive is a real investment in the future of Worcestershire and we were really pleased to be able to show members of the local media the inside of this truly iconic building. I think they were really impressed and genuinely enthusiastic about how the building is progressing and of how stylish, spacious and modern its already looking. It's wonderful to see our plans beginning to come to life and we hope residents throughout the county share our excitement about the potential for this ground-breaking venue."

Anne Hannaford, Director of Information and Learning Services at the University, said: “This unique facility will provide something for everyone, from students and researchers to teachers, children, families and the business community. It has been very exciting watching the building progress over the past two years and now we are just months away from it being open. I’m sure the public, students and staff will love what it has to offer.”

Members of the public will be able to see inside The Hive for themselves the first time on March 24, when the first 'sneak preview' event takes place. 12 Moves is a dance and drama performance run by performing arts group DanceFest, and will see a range of exciting demonstrations in and around the building.