Work is progressing on a new building for a Cumbrian museum.

Contractors initially started working on the site at Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum on August 12.

On September 9, groundworks began with concrete for the foundation being poured, and steelwork to start going in next week.

The new building will be a steel frame structure, approximately 30 feet by 90 feet, and has been designed to blend in with the surroundings, a spokesperson from the museum said.

They added: “We hasten to add this doesn’t mean we are going to camouflage it or plant trees all over the roof.

“One end will have café and the mezzanine upstairs will be dedicated for storage and archive purposes.

“Time has not always been onside with this project, the planning permission alone took nearly two years to be granted, however, it is time to get the ball rolling.

The organisation also announced thousands in additional funding to help cover costs.

This includes £2,500 from the Hadfield Trust for the next phase of the project, including lighting, heating and plumbing.

A further £1,000 was donated by the UK Mining Conference (UKMC), an annual conference held in Falmouth.

Another success came from their Crowdfund page in the form of £3,000, while the museum continues to seek funding for the next phases and welcomes further donations.