EXPANSION plans for Newton Abbot Museum have been given a major boost with the announcement of grant funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The museum has received the £818,653 grant to create a new accessible state-of-the-art museum collections store.

This will be an interactive space for members of the community to get more involved with behind-the-scenes museum activities.

The news was announced at a celebration event of Newton’s Place, which marked five years since the transformation of a derelict Victorian church, in Newton Abbot’s much-loved museum.

The current museum store is not accessible to the public with narrow corridors.

Nor is it large enough to house the museum’s collection of 17,000 plus objects.

An extension to the museum will enable better access and for the collection to be housed in one bespoke space.

Currently some artefacts are stored in offsite rental units.

The project will make a fundamental change to the level of care, community access and space provided for the stored collections by building a single-story extension to the museum to house an environmentally innovative and accessible collections store.

With community engagement at the heart of this project, a programme of behind-the-scenes community activities will be delivered.

Museum Curator Dr Charlotte Dixon said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by players of the National Lottery.

‘The museum prides itself on being an accessible and inclusive place to visit, but unfortunately this isn’t currently reflected in the collection stores.

‘This grant will enable the construction of a brand new, sustainable and accessible store with space to run community activities enabling visitors to experience behind-the-scenes in the museum and to engage further with the history of the town through the objects we care for.

‘It will ensure the collection is preserved now and for future generations.

‘Following a year of consultation with the public we have taken on board and adapted plans for the building and the range of exciting and unique activities that we will be running throughout the three year project and beyond.

‘We are excited to start this project and will soon be fundraising to support the grant. We look forward to sharing progress and to welcoming you into our new store soon.’

Stuart McLeod, National Lottery Heritage Fund Director of England, London and South, said: ‘The creation of a new accessible collections store at Newton Abbot’s museum will not only safeguard the town’s rich heritage for future generations, but also open up exciting opportunities for the community to engage more deeply with the museum’s remarkable collection.

‘Thanks to National Lottery players, this project builds on the success of the transformation of Newton’s Place into the Newton Abbot Museum that we know today. It reflects our commitment to supporting inclusive, sustainable heritage spaces that bring people together.’

This project comes five years after the relocation and opening of a new museum for Newton Abbot when in October 2020, it first opened its doors to visitors following a huge project to transform a grade II listed Victorian Church into a new museum, town council offices and community rooms.

This was made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, among other funders.