A MUSEUM has closed its doors for work to start on a £1.5m extension.

Lyme Regis Museum shut on Monday (5) in order for the new Mary Anning Wing to be built.

The extended museum will open in late June 2017. While the museum is closed, fossil walks, history walks and Mary Anning Walks will all continue as usual.

Director of Lyme Regis Museum, David Tucker, said: “The Mary Anning Wing will completely transform our museum.

"We’ll have a brand new gallery in which we’ll be able to display fossils discovered by Mary Anning and the other great collectors.

"We’ll also be able to do so much more for schools with a new learning space. On top of that we will have a meeting room, accessible stairs, a lift, a bigger shop and visitor toilets which we currently lack.”

Sidmouth-based Skinner Construction Ltd have been chosen to construct the contemporary design, which features glass and zinc.

Mr Tucker added: “I was very impressed with Skinners.

"Their team clearly wanted this job, and grasped just how significant our museum is to Lyme Regis and the wider Jurassic Coast. It’s great that we’ve been able to choose a local company, who’ll be using Lyme people in their team.”

Large windows will allow the museum to take advantage of its coastal location, and zinc has been chosen not only because it blends with the rooftops of Lyme, but also for its resistance to the corrosive effects of the sea.

At a cost of £1.5 million, the extension has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as by several major charities, the Friends of Lyme Regis Museum, Dorset County Council and West Dorset County Council.

Skinner Construction Ltd commercial director, Andrew Sturgess, said: “We’re delighted to have been appointed as the main contractor for the project.

"Whilst the project is fairly complex given its size and timescale, we are confident of its success and we look forward to working with Lyme Regis Museum.”

Tickets for museum walks can be booked online at lymeregismuseum.co.uk or by telephoning 01297 443370 or in the temporary museum shop in the nearby Guildhall which opens on Saturday (10).