Work has begun on a £50,000 programme to improve visitor access at Tavistock Museum.

This will include a new welcome area and interpretation room on the ground floor of the former librarian's cottage at Court Gate and will provide visitors to the museum with a ground floor entry from the Guildhall Square.

The improvements will also include a reception and shop area, and an audio-visual room which will show short films about key aspects of the town's history. 

The museum is already home to exhibitions relating to the Tavistock Stannary, Tavistock Canal, foundries and local mines.

The building work is being undertaken by Greening and Sons, overseen by conservation architects Parkes Lees Architects of Launceston.

The project is funded through a £50,000 grant from Biffa Award which the museum was awarded last year.  

Roderick Martin, secretary to the museum trust, said he was pleased that this second stage of the museum extension was now under way: 'It is intended to keep the main museum open during the building works, and pedestrian access will be maintained at all times into the Tavistock Subscription Library.'

Cath Hare, Biffa Award programme manager, said, 'This is a great project which will boost cultural facilities in Tavistock for the benefit of the whole community, and we are very happy to support it.'

The building work is due to be completed by the end of August.