The Hampshire County Museums and Archives Service (HCMAS) has received £50,000 to help fund plans for a new, permanent museum dedicated to the history of the former Basing House, near Basingstoke.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant will be used to present archaeological remains dating back to the Tudor and Stuart periods in The Lodge, the building which now occupies the site where Basing House once stood. It is hoped that the new museum space will enable HCMAS, together with Friends of Basing House, to display more artefacts than ever in order to tell the story of the people who lived at the property, as well as the final siege that led to its destruction by Oliver Cromwell's forces in 1645.

A training scheme for volunteers and the production of educational information for schools in Hampshire also form part of the scheme, with the new exhibition scheduled to open in summer 2010 as part of a re-launch of the site as Basing House History Park. HCMAS head of service Alistair Penfold said: "Archaeological investigations have been going at Basing House for decades. The grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the generosity of the Friends now provides an opportunity to put many more of the finds on display to help tell the story of this fascinating site."

Michelle Davis, head of HLF South East England, added: "Visitors to the new History Park and Lodge museum will be able to gain a much clearer understanding of the scale and importance of this once great house, its inhabitants and its final destruction at the hands of Oliver Cromwell." The Basing House History Park scheme has already received more than £1m from the HLF.

Image: Mike Cobb's painting, 'The Fall of Basing House, 13 October 1645' - Hampshire County Council