A TREASURE house packed with pieces of the region's industrial heritage is to allow visitors a rare look behind the scenes.

Staff at the Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Durham, are opening up the regional museums store.

The building is based on a late 19th Century engineering works and houses items too big to be stored anywhere else. These include a 120-tonne Doxford Marine Engine, a 54-ft Tyne wherry and an iron lung.

The £1.6m site, which opened last year, is a joint partnership between Beamish and Tyne and Wear museums.

Museum experts will conduct tours around the store on Friday, July 25, from 7pm. It is one of only three open days at the store this year. The last takes place on Saturday, October 4. Places for these events must be booked.

For further details, contact 0191-370 4027.