Keswick Museum and Art Gallery in Cumbria is set to be revamped after it was awarded £1.25m by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The HLF funding will also help to secure the long-term future of the attraction, which first opened its doors to the public in 1873. Under redevelopment plans, the museum will be upgraded and extended to incorporate new facilities, including a cafe, toilets, a disabled lift and a shop. Exhibition spaces will also be upgraded, and there will be a new Victorian 'museum within a museum'.

The museum is run on behalf of Allerdale Borough Council by Keswick Museum and Art Gallery Management Limited, an independent body comprising local people. Chair, Tricia Kerr, said: "This award is the culmination of a number of years' hard work by many people. "It is thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment firstly of the Friends of Keswick Museum and Art Gallery who have kept the museum open and running successfully, and secondly to the organisations who have ably assisted us in getting this grant."

Organisations involved in helping the museum to secure the HLF funding include Keswick Area Partnership, the North Pennines Heritage Trust and the Keswick Business and Education Centre. The museum has also set up a partnership with the Mountain Heritage Trust, which will be given space within the museum to display its collection of exhibits.

Sara Hilton, HLF's head of the North West region, said: "The project will repair an important building and bring two great collections together."