TREASURES held by the Gilbert White and The Oates Collections in Selborne will be seen for the first time after a grant of £1.687m was awarded to the museum.

The Heritage Lottery Fund redevelopment grant will be matched by £1m raised by the museum.

Trustees’ chairman Dr Rosemary Irwin said: “This is a great moment, the culmination of years of hard work. At last visitors will be able to see for the first time some of the wonderful treasures we hold.”

Among them is one of the few original copies of the first book to be written, printed, illustrated and bound in Antarctica.

It was produced by a team led by Ernest Shackleton, on his 1907-09 Nimrod expedition.

Only around 100 copies were produced – the Queen and the British Library are among others to have copies.

The grant will see museum buildings renovated, including the brew-house.

The stable yard will become an attractive entrance offering new facilities, including a new shop and café.

After the redevelopment, that area will be open to the public for the first time in more than 200 years.

The project should be completed by mid 2018.