LONDON, ENGLAND.-The V&A Museum of Childhood is poised to reopen to the public following a year’s closure and the completion of an extensive transformation of its 130-year-old home. The Museum raised £4.7m for the project, with £3.5m coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Author Jacqueline Wilson – the Children’s Laureate – will cut a cake to celebrate the Museum’s launch and officially declare it open.

Alongside a stunning new entrance and gallery space, the ambitious redevelopments will restore the home of the UK’s most important collection of childhood objects to its former Victorian glory, fully update the galleries and displays, expand educational spaces and make the Museum fully accessible to all visitors. Upon re-opening, the Museum will include:

A welcoming new entrance which will ease congestion at peak times, designed to complement the building’s existing architecture using red marbles and granites in a decorative pattern

A new 85m2 gallery located within the foyer, dedicated to displaying artwork and installations from the Museum's community programme

A new learning centre which will double the capacity for school groups and create a designated space for community art and craft workshops. Over 40,000 schoolchildren visit the Museum every year

New displays on the mezzanine galleries, updating the galleries in line with the top floor, around the themes of Creativity and Moving toys

Construction of a lift so that all levels of the Museum are fully accessible

Re-configuration of the north basement to create improved lunchroom, cloakroom and toilet facilities

Working with acclaimed architects Caruso St John – shortlisted for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize – the first phase of this “masterplan” was completed in April 2003, following which visitor numbers rose 25% higher than they were before the project began. Diane Lees, Director of the Museum, said:

"With our state-of-the-art visitor facilities, outstanding building and magnificent galleries, we are now in the proud position of being able to give all of our visitors the engaging and enjoyable Museum experience they deserve. Visitors have been at the very core of this project, their needs informing us each step of the way, and our wish is that their visit to the V&A Museum of Childhood will become a day out to remember."