Seven Stories

{{About|the UK children's literature centre|the Australian rock group|Seven Stories (band)|the United States publisher|Seven Stories Press}}

{{Infobox museum

| image = Centre for Children's Books, Lime Street - geograph.org.uk - 1777745.jpg

| caption = The exterior of Seven Stories

| name = Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books

| established = 2005

| type = Children's literature and illustration from 1930s to the present day

| location = Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

| visitors =

| publictransit = Manors, Byker (Tyne and Wear Metro)

| director = Wendy Elliot

| website = {{url|http://www.sevenstories.org.uk}}

}}

Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian mill in which it is housed has seven levels.{{cite web|last1=Oakden|first1=Rachael|title=Take the kids to … Seven Stories, Newcastle upon Tyne|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/dec/23/seven-stories-childrens-books-newcastle-family-day-trips-uk|website=The Guardian|accessdate=16 October 2016|date=23 December 2015}} It is the first and only museum in the UK wholly devoted to the art of British children's books.{{cite news |title=The beating art of Newcastle|author= Stephen Emms|newspaper= The Guardian|date= 22 December 2009|url= https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/dec/22/ouseburn-newcastle-art-scene?page=2}} Their archive is housed in a separate building in Felling.{{cite web|last1=Almond|first1=David|title=David Almond: the tale of Seven Stories|url=https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/jul/28/david-almond-the-tale-of-seven-stories|website=The Guardian|accessdate=16 October 2016|date=28 July 2015}}

History

Seven Stories opened in August 2005 after a £6.5 million conversion from a former granary building.{{cite web|title=In seventh heaven with Seven Stories|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/tyne/content/articles/2005/08/19/seven_stories_feature.shtml|website=BBC Tyne|accessdate=16 October 2016}}

In March 2006, the centre received the Centre Vision Award, the Civic Trust's national award for best practice in town centre regeneration.{{cite web |url=http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/news/history-and-heritage |title=Seven Stories | History and Heritage |accessdate=2015-06-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405163132/http://www.sevenstories.org.uk/news/history-and-heritage |archivedate=5 April 2015 |df=dmy-all }}

Seven Stories celebrated their fifth birthday in August 2010 with an exclusive golden ticket event with popular children's author Dame Jacqueline Wilson.{{cite news |title=Jacqueline Wilson Helps Birthday Celebrations|author= Ruth Lawson|newspaper= The Evening Chronicle|date= 20 August 2010|url= http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2010/08/20/jacqueline-wilson-helps-birthday-celebrations-72703-27102876/}}

In September 2010, Seven Stories purchased several original typescripts by Enid Blyton, making Seven Stories the largest public collector of Blyton material. The purchase was made possible by special funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund, and two private donations.{{cite news |title=Rare Enid Blyton Manuscripts Acquired by Seven Stories Museum|author= Alison Flood|newspaper=The Guardian|date= 22 September 2010|url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/22/enid-blyton-manuscripst-seven-stories}}

In 2010, Seven Stories was awarded the Eleanor Farjeon Award, made for distinguished service to the world of British children's books.{{cite web |url=http://www.childrensbookcircle.org.uk/pages/the-eleanor-farjeon-award |website=www.childrensbookcircle.org.uk |title=The Eleanor Farjeon Award |publisher=Children's Book Centre |accessdate=23 August 2015 }}

In 2012, Seven Stories became The National Centre for Children's Books, a registered charity.{{EW charity|1056812|The Centre for Children's Books}}{{cite web|title=Seven Stories book centre given national status|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20268099|website=BBC News|accessdate=16 October 2016|date=9 November 2012}}

The centre closed for refurbishment in April 2015. The refurbishment was intended to focus on improving the visitor experience, functionality for school groups and the energy efficiency of the building.{{cite web|last1=Hutchinson|first1=Lisa|title=Newcastle's Seven Stories centre for children's books to get £750,000 refurbishment|url=http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/newcastles-seven-stories-centre-childrens-8636618|website=Newcastle Chronicle|accessdate=16 October 2016|date=12 February 2015}} The centre re-opened on Sunday 19 July 2015.{{cite web|title=New Chapter for Seven Stories|url=http://www.adp-architecture.com/news/new-chapter-for-seven-stories|website=ADP Architecture|accessdate=16 October 2016}}

In October 2015, author Michael Morpurgo donated a collection of manuscripts, notebooks and letters to the museum.{{cite web|last1=Youngs|first1=Ian|title=Michael Morpurgo archive yields unpublished books|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34591304|website=BBC News|accessdate=16 October 2016|date=21 October 2015}}

Exhibits

Seven Stories has a changing programme of exhibitions aimed at both children and adults. Seven Stories brings together original manuscripts and illustrations from some of the UK's best loved children's books, to excite visitors in an exploration of creativity, literature and art. Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Jones, Philip Pullman and Quentin Blake are among some of the centre's most distinguished patrons.{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4156378.stm|title=UK children's books centre opens|date=18 August 2005|accessdate=23 May 2019|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}

Seven Stories curates its own exhibitions, many of which go on to tour nationally including Judith Kerr, Anthony Browne and Jacqueline Wilson. They also provide a range of workshops, visits and resources for schools and education professionals from pre-school to post graduates including the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with which it jointly hosts a number of PhD studentships funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.{{cite web|title=Doctoral Training Partnerships|url=http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/skills/phdstudents/fundingandtraining/dtps/|website=Arts and Humanities Research Council|accessdate=16 October 2016}}

Many children's authors and illustrators visit the centre to run workshops and give talks, including David Almond, Catherine Rayner, Michael Foreman, Terry Deary, Judith Kerr, Julia Donaldson, Mick Manning, Brita Granström and Oliver Jeffers.{{cite web|last1=Eyre|first1=Charlotte|title=Seven Stories to host Foreman exhibition|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/seven-stories-host-foreman-exhibition-306259|website=The Bookseller|accessdate=16 October 2016}}

Activities include dressing-up and dramatic fun, creative writing and wordplay, illustration and craft. {{cite book|last1=Burns|first1=Paul|title=Entrepreneurship and Small Business: Start-up. Growth and Maturity|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=9780230208483|page=91}}