HIDDEN treasures, held for years in the archives of Gilbert White and The Oates Collections in Selborne, will become accessible to the public for the first time following a grant of £1.687m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the redevelopment of the museum.
This award will be matched by almost £1m raised by the museum from other sources.
“This is a great moment for us – the culmination of years of planning and hard work,” said chairman of trustees Dr Rosemary Irwin. “At long last visitors will be able to see some of the wonderful treasures we hold.”
Among the treasures to be made available to the public for the first time is one of the few surviving original copies of “Aurora Australis”, the first book to be written, printed, illustrated and bound in Antarctica. It was produced by a team working under Ernest Shackleton, leader of the 1907-09 Nimrod Expedition.
This new grant will allow the museum to restore buildings built by the Rev Gilbert White, including his stable yard and brew-house, and to open up the whole site, including its library, to the public after more than 200 years.
The stable yard will become a new and attractive entrance to the Museum, and will offer a wide range of new facilities for residents of the village of Selborne and for visitors, including a new shop and café, and new displays and exhibits. The project is currently seeking planning consent, and will be completed in the spring of 2018.
The museum has ambitious plans to reach out to completely new audiences and will use the grant to expand its events, activities, learning and education work in a wide range of subjects including biodiversity, exploration and climate change.