Work starts on £250,000 Sheffield industrial museum revamp

The Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet will undergo a two-year redevelopment

A Sheffield museum is to get a £250,000 makeover as part of a two-year redevelopment project.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet will have historical buildings restored, a new shop and welcome centre, and an expanded car park.

The site dates back to the 1700s and used to produce agricultural tools, before its closure and reopening as a museum in 1970.

It contains a number of Grade I and Grade II listed buildings.

Sheffield Museums Trust, which runs the site, received a £235,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It has closed until spring next year to allow the first part of the work to be carried out.

As well as the industrial buildings, the museum also has workers' cottages dating back to the mid-1800s.

The factory was powered by a number of waterwheels situated on the River Sheaf, one of which will be restored as part of the work.

Earlier this month, Sheffield City Council approved a 25-year lease to the trust.

The museum contains workers' cottages dating back to the mid-1800s

Kim Streets, chief executive at Sheffield Museums Trust, said she was delighted to get the National Lottery funding.

"Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is real jewel in Sheffield's heritage crown and this vital funding from the heritage fund will see it shine," she said.

"The Hamlet offers an unparalleled opportunity to celebrate the city's making history, provide an immersive visitor experience and deliver a fantastic resource embedded in the local community."