A WORCESTER museum will close for five months during a lottery-funded revamp which aims to bring the history of city porcelain to life.

The Museum of Royal Worcester will close on October 31 for a major National Lottery funded gallery refurbishment that will take five months to complete.

Staff can continue working in the office areas at the Severn Street base but the museum shop will have to close temporarily.

However, Worcester City Council will allow the shop to operate from the ground floor of the north wing of the Guildhall in the High Street.

Given that the museum is a registered charity, the city council is offering a six-month lease at no cost.

From the shop the museum will be able to showcase its plans for the redevelopment, promoting its new activities and generate income during the closure.

The museum redevelopment has been made possible by a National Lottery grant of £1.4 million awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

As well as selling vintage and antique Royal Worcester that was made at the Severn Street factory, the shop also stocks the largest range of Portmeirion’s contemporary Royal Worcester goods in the area.

Past factory workers will continue to demonstrate their skills and for the first time in its history the museum will operate the shop on a seven day a week basis.

Sir Michael Perry GBE, chairman of the museum said: “The museum’s trustees are deeply grateful to the city for this generous offer, the shop on the High Street will ensure our presence throughout the refurbishment of the museum itself.”

Cllr Paul Denham, chairman of Worcester City Council’s income generation sub-committee, said: “The Museum of Royal Worcester plays a major part in our city’s appeal to tourists and I know their upcoming refurbishment will support Worcester’s drive to be a heritage city for the 21st century."

The Museum of Royal Worcester has received a National Lottery grant of £1,414,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the total cost of £1,723,803 for the project ‘Celebrating 250 Years of Innovation, Industry and Craftsmanship’.

Royal Worcester was formed in 1751 and closed in 2008. The company exported to every corner of the world. Porcelain orders were commissioned by monarchs and statesmen, and millions of people marked the special moments in their lives by dining off Royal Worcester china.

The National Lottery funded project will bring the story of Worcester porcelain alive, by focusing on social history, the sense of community that the factory inspired and the extent of its worldwide distribution.

Hidden stories and exhibits from the archives will illustrate the skills, techniques and developments of the factory.