Work on new museum and park facilities to begin

Preston Park Museum & Gardens is owned by the local council

A multimillion-pound upgrade to facilities at a museum is set to get under way.

Construction at Stockton's Preston Park will begin on Monday with work to expand its cafe and toilet facilities.

The museum is based at Preston Hall, a Grade II listed 19th century manor house which has been owned by the local council since 1953.

It is part of a larger £20m redevelopment which includes a two-storey extension at the museum and is scheduled to be completed next year.

The cafe will have a new entrance and seating, along with a covered outdoor section facing on to the children's play area.

A new building will be created to include toilets and accessible changing facilities, with the existing toilet block demolished once the new ones are opened.

The cafe and toilet facilities will be built on some of Preston Park's green space

The new two-storey museum extension over some of the park's green space will be connected to existing buildings.

It will include areas to bring touring exhibitions to the region as well as allowing hundreds of unseen local objects to be put on display.

Steve Nelson, Stockton Council's member for health, leisure and culture, believes the "major exhibitions and events in the museum extension will bring thousands more visitors to Preston Park, from the local area and further afield".

Roofing work and construction of both floors and internal walls are now complete, with the southern car park also being expanded with 100 extra spaces.