The Room to Grow Project includes a £1.3m refurbishment of the existing museum buildings and the construction of a new three-storey extension.
Ground Floor
The existing reception and retail area is being expanded into the former cinema and museum room. A few steps (and a lift) lead to the lobby with new toilet facilities and stairs to the upper floors. The new 180 sq m exhibition space houses displays about the rise of ironstone mining and iron and steel production , the social and home lives of the miners and their families and the eventual decline of the industry. A single-storey extension provides storage for the museum's collection of artefacts and documents.
First Floor
The Tom Leonard Gallery will display a model of the zig-zag railway which once carried ironstone from the mine up the valley to the steelworks as well as a display of the ironstone mines in the area. An office for the museum's conservation team is in the new extension. The rest of the first floor is dedicated to classrooms and an office for the education team.
Second Floor
The second floor mainly consists of a large open-plan office and storage area. There is also a room for volunteers and staff to take a break.