A £1.3million scheme to transform a visitor attraction in Gloucestershire has received a significant boost from the National Lottery.

The Corinium Museum in Cirencester has been awarded nearly £700,000 in financial support for its exciting new project 'Stone Age to Corinium: Discover the Archaeology of the Cotswolds'.

It will create Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age and Early Roman interactive galleries along with a new discovery centre and garden at the Grade II listed Abberley House.

Objects that are currently in storage will be conserved and put on display for the first time, including rare stone and bone tools, rock art, and beakers.

This will help the museum to tell a new story about the pre-Roman occupation of the Cotswolds and support a wide range of activities, including the new prehistory curriculum.

Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded funding of £676,900 to help the museum turn its plans into a reality.

Museum director Amanda Hart said: "This project has been a long time in the planning so we're delighted that the National Lottery has given us this support.

"This project will transform the front part of the museum, creating a warm welcome for visitors and stunning new galleries which highlight the star objects from the prehistoric Cotswolds.

"The discovery centre will be an inspirational learning space for a diverse range of activities to be enjoyed by all our visitors."

The head of leisure and community services at Cotswold District Council, Diana Shelton, said the investment in the museum would make it an even bigger attraction to visitors.

"The council has provided £50,000 towards this exciting project, and we are very pleased that it has received such a generous grant from the National Lottery," she said.

"The museum is world renowned because it holds such large and internationally significant collections which shed light on important archaeological achievements that span the earliest human occupation and continue through to the 20th century.

"We hope that this exciting project will provide a draw for residents and visitors alike, especially as they will be able to view exhibits previously stored away, and see the work of conservators and other support staff at close quarters for the first time."

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