Restoration of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) in Exeter is underway, with structural investigations being carried out on the Victorian building in preparation for a £15.1m revamp.

The proposals include the creation of a new gallery in order to both house larger temporary exhibitions and host nationwide touring shows.

Updated visitor facilities will include a new café, shop and toilets, in addition to a learning suite for visiting school groups.

In addition, construction of a neighbouring purpose-built storage area called the Exeter Ark is being carried out in time for a September opening in order to house and display the collections to the public while the museum is closed from 1 December.

The revamped museum is anticipated to reopen to the public in spring 2010, when the Ark will remain as a storage facility for surplus objects.

The revamped and extended museum is central to the city’s new cultural Castle Quarter, with a new entrance to the rear of the museum providing access to the city’s Northernhay and Rougemont Gardens, which in turn will be revamped some time in the future.

Funding for the project has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£9m), Exeter City Council (£5.5m) and the RAMM Development Trust (£1m).