Image: London's new Design Museum will open in 2015

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced investment totalling £15.9m towards four major museum redevelopment schemes - three in London and another in Dorset.

A £4.65m grant - the largest of the four - has been handed to the Design Museum and will assist the attraction in its relocation to the Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington.

John Pawson has redesigned the interior of the Grade II*-listed property, which will see the Design Museum move into a cultural quarter that already includes site such as the V&A.

The V&A itself has also secured HLF funding, with investment worth £4.3m going towards a restoration of the Europe 1600-1800 galleries back to their original Victorian design.

Elsewhere, Imperial War Museum (IWM) London has secured £4.5m towards the creation of its new First World War Galleries - opening up more of the attraction's collections.

The new galleries form part of IWM London's efforts to mark the centenary of the conflict between 2014 and 2018, with original artefacts to go on show in interactive displays.

Dorset's Tank Museum is the fourth recipient of HLF funding and has secured £2.5m for a new Vehicle Conservation Centre in which visitors can learn more about armoured vehicles.

HLF chief executive Carole Souter said: "The projects will explore everything from First World War memories to the history of modern design, giving new insights and inspiration to the millions of people who visit every year."

In addition to the four projects listed above, Castle Drogo near Exeter has been awarded £2.5m towards vital repairs and to bring the property back into use as a community space.

Chatham Historic Dockyard; London's Gunnersbury Park Museum; Norton Priory in Cheshire; and Science and Art, National Museums Scotland have all received initial support for their respective applications.

Click here for more information on the HLF's latest funding awards to the four museum projects, as well as those which have received initial support.