Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens' last day before refurb

A museum is preparing for its last visitors before closing for a £13.6m refurbishment scheduled to take two years.

The Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, which opened at its current location off Burdon Road in 1879, will shut on Saturday afternoon for repairs, the relocation of the main entrance, changes to the layout and the addition of two new galleries.

However Sea Change, the operator of the museum's cafe that is staffed by people with autism and learning disabilities, will permanently close.

Trina Murphy, manager of museum redevelopment at Sunderland City Council, said many visitors were coming to say goodbye to its most famous attraction, the 164-year-old Wallace the lion.

Responding to the cafe closure, Murphy said it had only been a short-term arrangement.

The building has gone through several changes over the years, with a major extension being added in the 1960s and again in 2001 when the Winter Gardens was opened.

Looking to the future, Murphy said: "I can't wait for that day when we cut that ribbon because it will be for the people of the city and for the staff.

"They deserve to see their museum developed."

She said some smaller exhibits will go on tour in the community during the closure, with "loan boxes" handed out to places including schools in order to keep them visible.

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How do you move a museum (and one large lion)?