ONE of Teesside’s museums is to get a major overhaul thanks to a Government grant.

The £500,000 money award will be used for the creation of new exhibition and education spaces at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Middlesbrough’s Stewart Park.

The grant followed a visit to the region by Chancellor George Osborne in February and will pave the way for celebrations in 2018 marking the 250th anniversary of the great explorer’s first voyage of discovery.

Captain Cook is one of the most famous navigators in history and produced the first accurate maps of parts of Australia and Newfoundland as part of scientific and information-gathering voyages into the Pacific Ocean. He was famously killed by natives in Hawaii.

The proposed new works will include refurbishment of the Middlesbrough museum’s first floor, alongside the creation of a new temporary exhibition gallery within the main exhibition galleries.

The award – administered by Arts Council England – will also enable the development of new artefact, archive and handling collections and resources to enhance the museum’s existing Cook collections.

The works are expected to take place during the museum’s winter closure period, with completion in time for re-opening in April, 2017.

Councillor Lewis Young, Middlesbrough Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, will consider a report on the proposed improvements at a meeting on Wednesday, June 1.

Cllr Young said: “We are always looking for ways to develop our museums to ensure they maintain regional significance, and this grant will enable an important upgrade to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

“The creation of a new interactive exhibition, educational upgrades and a revamp of key areas of the building will keep the museum fresh, relevant and attractive for visitors.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund gave the museum £815,000 to ensure visitor numbers were maintained in 2011 while a £4.5m renovation of Stewart Park was completed. However that same year Middlesbrough Borough Council controversially decided to close the museum during the winter months as part of cut backs.

Earlier this month there were reports around the world that the remains of Cook’s famous ship, HMS Endeavour, may have been found off the coast of Rhode Island in the United States. The ship had been used by the British who were attempting to recapture the port city of Newport from the Americans in 1778.

The birthplace museum was opened in 1978, the 250th anniversary of Cook’s birth.