TAVISTOCK Museum will be re-opening its doors to the public and showing off its new extension and refurbishment this weekend.

The Tavistock Museum Charitable Trust will be opening the museum doors on Easter Saturday.

Visitors will, for the first time, enter from its new extension which has a ground-level entrance from Guildhall Square, leading into a welcome area and interpretation rooms. There are also new kitchen facilities for the museum stewards, and a small shop area.

The former librarian's cottage, next to the main museum, was completely refurbished last year with £50,000 funding support from Biffa Award.

The new interpretation facilities will, through displays and a new audio-visual system, tell visitors more about the town, what they can see during their visit, and where they can walk or cycle.

Particular attention is paid to explaining the role Tavistock now has as the eastern gateway to the West Devon and Cornwall Mining World Heritage site, and how the town came to have its public buildings, imposing villas and domestic model cottages, all built by the Bedford Estate from its vast mining royalties.

The new kitchen will be a welcome facility for the museum stewards. It has been funded by Devon County Council through the support of county councillor for Tavistock Debo Sellis. Fairway Furniture also donated a kitchen sink and base unit.

Roderick Martin, secretary to the museum charitable trust, said: 'The re-opening of the museum with a new ground-level entrance is a very big step forward for the museum.

'The trust is most grateful for the support it has received from the Tavistock Town Council, from our main funder Biffa Award, and from Devon County Council, and for the contributions to the success of the project made by many local builders, tradesmen and suppliers from the local area.

'The extended museum with its marvellous new interpretation facilities, will enhance visitor experience and be a very big plus for tourism in the town.'

This year the museum has a major exhibition — Commemorating the Arrival in Tavistock of the 29th Infantry Division of the US Army 70 Years Ago — which has been arranged by Peter Gallie. It will complement plans to hold military vehicle parades and re-enactment activities in the town during the last weekend in May.