A VICTORIAN walled garden and orchard could be brought back to life with a £300,000 lottery grant.

Stockton Borough Council is hoping to receive a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the improvements at Preston Hall Museum and Park, in Eaglescliffe.

A detailed plan, which will also include traditional flower beds, a vine house and beehives, will now be submitted and a decision is expected next year.

The project will see the currently derelict walled garden area and old orchard transformed back to its Victorian splendour where fruit, vegetables and herbs will be grown alongside traditional herbaceous planting.

The introduction of a vine house, cold frames and space for beehives will complete the renovation.

Essential restoration will also be carried out to the walled structure and original pathway.

This grant will be a boost to the ongoing £7m regeneration masterplan, which will see the hall refurbished thanks to funding from both Stockton Borough Council and HLF.

Councillor Mary Womphrey, Stockton Borough Council's cabinet member for arts, culture and leisure, said: "We are delighted to get the green light for this project which will see currently unused areas of the park brought back into use and returned to their former glory.

"The plans will offer visitors a further taste of Victorian life.

"They will be able to see what it would have been like to work in a Victorian working garden and we hope to provide opportunities for local community groups and volunteers to get their hands dirty and help maintain the restored garden."

Ivor Crowther, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North-East, said: "We're extremely pleased to give initial support to Preston Hall Museum and Park for its important plans to conserve its original features and get people involved with this valuable piece of our heritage."

Volunteers are needed to help prepare the site so that it is ready once funding has been confirmed. Anyone able to help out should call Sophie Lunt on 01642-527820.