Council joins with stakeholders to look at the future identity of important cultural asset

16 February 2026

North Northamptonshire Council have held a workshop today to look at the future identity and name of an important site in Kettering, currently referred to as Cornerstone.

35 representatives from the council, key stakeholders and partners from the local area including the town council, Civic Society and Friends of groups all took part in the session.

The Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering Library, Manor House Museum and Manor House Gardens were given the ‘Cornerstone’ name in March 2022 to help promote the facilities as at the site. The Kettering Library and Alfred East Art Gallery have maintained their individual identities within this new building.
Following ongoing public feedback and careful consideration, North Northamptonshire Council has started a process to look at the rebranding of Cornerstone at the end of 2025.

Now, as part of the process, a workshop has been held. During the session, attendees were asked to consider a proposal around developing a unified ‘Heritage Quarter’ that showcases and promotes the area - connecting the buildings and groups that use the different parts of the site. All attendees were also given the opportunity to suggest alternative names for the site and explain what the site means to them.

Attendees were also provided with an update on the museum with work underway on a National Lottery Heritage Funding application to secure funding for a Collections Officer and associated activity which will help support the development of a larger funding bid. The council are also exploring opportunities with the University of Leicester.

Plans for a business plan for the entire site are also progressing at pace, with a strong emphasis on partnership working and collaborative delivery.

Whilst works continue on the library roof, the temporary library continues to be a top performer, with excellent results in the Summer Reading Challenge and consistently high footfall.

This site has been at the heart of the community for generations and continues to be well-loved by the residents of Kettering and further afield.

As the current custodians of the site, we want to identify a name that unifies and promotes the site as we look to the future and a new chapter for this asset.Cllr Greg Wilcox, the council’s Executive Member for Communities

As we gear up to fully open the site to the public, sessions like this are really important to help us understand what matters most and how we move forward with the identity of this cultural asset.

At the moment, we are considering all the options to ensure the end name is the right one and fits the site and surrounding area.

The workshop, gathering together 35 representatives from a variety of partners and stakeholders, was a really positive session at the start of this process. We will now be reviewing all the feedback before coming back to the group with some proposal and a final decision is made.Cllr Martin Griffiths, the Leader of Council

Feedback from the session will now be brought together and reviewed before a new identity for the site is developed by the council. Any proposals will be shared with stakeholders before a final decision is confirmed.

Further updates will be published in due course.