THE future of Swanage Museum is secure following a £49,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

An infestation of death-watch beetle in the roof timbers of the town's historic Tithe Barn made it so unsafe that museum leaders were forced to close the collection to the public several months ago.

The grant will pay for the costs of moving the collection and library to a new home at Swanage Heritage Centre, and a bid has been made for lottery funds to create new displays and learning materials.

Cllr Tony Miller, Purbeck District Council's spokesman for tourism, said: "I am delighted that the bid for funding has been successful.

"The £49,000 grant not only means that the Museum can re-open and relocate, but that we can make the most of the historically important collection by updating the displays to make them more appealing to school parties, locals and visitors to Swanage."

Dorset County Council is funding an additional £5,000 to create a permanent Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site interpretation display with a direct audio-visual link to Durlston Castle and Country Park.

The display will explain how the site's unique geographical features compare to other World Heritage Sites such as the Great Barrier Reef and Galapagos Islands.

Purbeck District Council's tourism officer Nina Elston said: "This is excellent news for Swanage Museum.

"The Heritage Lottery Fund recognised how important the history of Swanage is to both residents and visitors, and this grant will allow us to create an exciting and stimulating new series of exhibits.

"The museum will be open again in April 2006, by which time it will be safely housed in the Heritage Centre."

First published: August 12