A £1.3m project to transform the Wigan History Shop into a new "heritage hub" is set to get underway on 23 December in the Lancashire town.

The scheme is expected to take a year to complete at the site, which was one of the first historical research and study centres of its kind in Britain when it replaced the Wigan Free Public Library in 1992. Work at the History Shop will see the creation of new museum displays, improvements to access and a full refurbishment of the research areas, as well as new ground floor toilet facilities.

Funding for the project has been provided by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant worth £500,000, along with match funding from Wigan Council and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT). Heritage services manager for WLCT, Carole Tyldesley, said: "When building work is completed, we will have a more user-friendly, easily accessible facility that will allow more people to get involved and explore their own and Wigan's heritage."

Services at the History Shop, which was once used by author George Orwell to research his Road to Wigan Pier book, will be switched to Wigan Library for the duration of the refurbishment work.