Application submitted to refurbish the Museum of Cornish Life

Plans to refurbish part of Helston's Museum of Cornish Life were submitted last week.

The work will be focused on the museum shop.

The proposals are to strip out the existing shop fittings which are thought to date back to the 1980s and replace it with a more accessible and contemporary shop design.

There are also plans to replace the handrails by the entrance doors. The application reads:

"The approach to the main museum and shop entrance is currently quite restrictive, the central handrail up the middle of the approach steps finishes very close to the entrance doors and forms a pinch point, so that those with large bags, hands full or holding children may struggle to fit through.

"The front entrance double doors are narrow, and when only one leaf is open, access into the museum is further restricted. Observations from staff have noted that many visitors use the side entrance as this access is easier.

"We propose the removal of the central handrail and the construction of two cast-iron handrails either side of the steps, this will widen the approach and remove the obstruction. The inner lobby doors are to be replaced with wider leafed doors to allow improve accessibility."

The key objective of the work is aimed to give the shop an identity in the town, rather than just as an add-on to the museum.