Sea heroine museum in £1.4m refit

Grace Darling remains a role model in the North East

The public have the final chance to visit a museum celebrating the life of a Northumbrian heroine, before it closes for two years.

The Grace Darling Museum, at Bamburgh, is to undergo a £1.4m refit.

After Saturday, artefacts will go into storage until the museum reopens its doors in 2007.

Grace Darling became a national heroine in 1838 when she assisted her lighthouse-keeper father in the rescue of ships' crew during a storm.

The museum is run by the RNLI. Project manager Maureen La Frenais said: "The museum is incredibly popular and we are aware that people are very interested in our redevelopment.

"We will be available to discuss the plans on the days with visitors and I'm sure people will enjoy seeing the old museum for one last time."

The museum is run by volunteers

The museum has been virtually unchanged since it opened in 1938. A planned new, two-storey building will improve access and better conditions for storage of the collection.

The redevelopment plans have been boosted by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Northern Rock Foundation.

Grace Darling and her father rowed out to rescue the crew of the SS Forfarshire in a violent storm.

The story is well-known in the North East, with many schools opting to teach it as part of the National Curriculum.

The museum will close on Saturday at 1600 BST.