A new national Civil War Museum in Newark, expected to attract more than 40,000 visitors a year to the area, is set to receive a £1m boost from Nottinghamshire County Council.

The council funding, which has come from the its Capital Programme, will join the £3.5m Heritage Lottery Fund to go towards the £5.4m costs of the initiative.

The new museum and learning centre will be based in the Old Magnus Building, which has a number of striking architectural features, including a Tudor School Hall and Georgian and Victorian classrooms.

As well as telling the story of the English Civil War, the new attraction will also display a range of exhibitions and artefacts from other eras of Newark's history, including the iron-age Newark Torc, which will be displayed in Nottinghamshire for the first time after previously being loaned to the British Museum.

Councillor John Cottee, chair of the culture committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "Visit Britain estimates the new centre will attract more than 40,000 visitors to Newark each year, attracting an annual tourist spend of over £1.3m into the local economy.

"The centre will provide a superb resource for people of all ages to learn more about this fascinating part of our history, which was hugely significant in the birth of democracy in our country."