Carlisle's Tullie House Museum to shut for £4.5m makeover

Visitors have until Christmas Eve to see the two sculptures of Roman gods on display before the museum closes until summer 2024

An 130-year-old museum in Carlisle is to close for several months to undergo a £4.5m revamp.

Tullie House Museum in Carlisle will shut from Christmas Eve until summer 2024 to allow for work including a new shop, gallery and improved entrance.

A spokeswoman said the revamp would "revitalise" the 130-year-old museum.

A display of two Roman head sculptures, due to end this month, has now been extended until 23 December.

The revamp is being funded by the government's Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund, along with the Arts Council.

The Digging Deeper Unearthing Roman Carlisle display showcases significant finds, including the two Roman heads, that were unearthed during an archaeological dig at the city's cricket club earlier this year.

It also includes a collection of carved gem intaglios found in a Roman bathhouse.

A museum spokeswoman said the museum would get a "fresh, more accessible, look"

Anna Smalley, the museum's head of collections and engagement, said: "We have an atrium which is very pleasant but busy, full of lots of different things.

"We are going to streamline things with the focus on one entrance through the historic gatehouse and create a new atrium which is more user-friendly and accessible.

"Once this stage of redevelopment is completed, we'll have a revitalised entrance and atrium space, and new ground floor gallery dedicated to our Great Border City.

"We will be saying goodbye to the honeycomb tile ceiling and slightly temperamental red doors and be back with a fresh and much more accessible look."