A 19th century Ashington colliery, one of four most important colliery sites in Britain, has received a £10m grant from the Heritage Lottery fund (HLF) to enable the site to be turned into a major cultural attraction.

The Woodhorn Colliery, which has been closed since 1981, will be totally restored. It is also hoped that the new scheme will bring cultural, economic and educational benefits to the local area.

In its entirety, the Experience Northumberland at Woodhorn scheme is expected to attract up to 75,000 visitors per year and create nearly 200 jobs.

HLF director, Carole Souter, said: “This is a wonderful example of heritage-led regeneration and HLF is delighted to support a project that will have such a positive impact on the area, bringing together rich archives with a pit site and mining museum.”