Museum revamp gets £5.2m lottery funding

The money, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will go towards transforming the Grade II listed museum

More than £5.2m has been secured for the redevelopment of a city's museum.

The money, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will go towards transforming the Grade-II listed Museum and Winter Gardens in Sunderland.

The funding boost, as well as £6m from the city council, will go towards a £13.1m redevelopment of the venue, which is expected to take about four years.

Trina Murphy, the council's service manager for heritage and museums, said the funding was the "most significant" the site had received in the last 25 years and would "absolutely enhance" a venue that was at the heart of the city.

Proposals for the revamp, which includes moving the main entrance into Mowbray Park and creating new gallery spaces, were approved in July.

Restoration works to the roof and windows are also part of the plans.

One of the new gallery spaces, the Growing Space exhibition, will aim to encourage people to live sustainably

Ms Murphy said the last 18 months had been spent talking to residents and visitors to the city asking them what the museum meant to them and how they would like it to develop.

"This investment will allow the museum entrance to be part of our award-winning park," she said.

"It will absolutely enhance the natural environment, linking with the winter gardens.

"It will also provide for a growing space and two new gallery spaces, so it's really a package of developments that will come together for the city over the next four years.

"The museum is so well-loved in the city and it is the heart of Sunderland's heritage."

The venue has not been upgraded in the last 25 years

Cabinet member for communities, culture and tourism Beth Jones said the museum was well overdue "an upgrade".

"People do not realise the symbolism of the building - it has been here since 1879 and it was the first civic building outside of London," she said.

"There is something for everybody in our wonderful collections here and it's time for upgrades and transformations."