ONE of York's most famous tourist landmarks is to get a £284,000 facelift.

York Museums Trust is celebrating after being awarded £187,000 from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to update York Castle Museum's most famous display - Kirkgate.

Kirkgate is the recreated Victorian street at the heart of the museum, and it is the display which is best remembered by the thousands of people who visit the museum every year.

The Government grant, from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund 2004/5, together with £97,000 of trust funds, will mean it can be refurbished and rejuvenated to inspire thousands more visitors in the future.

When it was built in 1938, Kirkgate was a ground-breaking display and has since been copied by dozens of museums across the country and the world. The street was the idea of the founder of the museum, Dr John Kirk, a North Yorkshire doctor who wanted to create a museum of everyday life.

He rescued original historic shop fronts and interiors and reconstructed them in the museum to make the street.

The improvements will include:

Opening up three existing areas - the police station, the cells and the bank - so visitors can explore inside

Converting existing behind-the-scenes rooms into period domestic rooms which will be open to visitors to explore

Improving public access by resurfacing the cobbled section of the street

Providing more information about the displays, tailored to suit different age groups and tastes, including audio guides and written information

Putting in a new ceiling and new lighting, redecorating the shops and displays and refurbishing the visitor staircase in Princess Mary Court (at the end of Kirkgate).

Martin Watts, director of lifelong learning with York Museums Trust, said: "The aim of this project is to combine the very best elements of this famous iconic display with modern ideas and technologies.

"We hope this project will put York Castle Museum once more at the forefront of museum interpretation; engaging, exciting, inspiring and informing new generations of visitors."

It is expected that the work will start in December for completion in August next year. There may be some temporary closure of galleries for periods during this time.

Updated: 10:40 Friday, July 30, 2004