A museum at the heart of Lancashire is set to close for three years so work can begin on a £10.2million re-imagining of the iconic Grade I listed building.

To create the exciting updates and new spaces at The Harris Museum, the building, in Preston, will temporarily close from 5pm on Saturday October 2.

New spaces will be created across the community to showcase The Harris and house the library's services during the closure.

Between Monday October 4 and Saturday October 16 people will be able to access library services online - there is a huge selection of e-books and magazines for people to take a look at, or they can visit other libraries across Preston.

From Monday 18 October, The Harris library and IT services will be available for all in its new 'home from home' in the Guild Hall.

Cabinet member for culture and arts at Preston City Council, Councillor Peter Kelly, said: "The ambitious plans and vision we've had for the re-imagining the Harris project are now coming to fruition as we take this huge step forward.

"In order to achieve and realise these changes, the Harris building must close for a period of time to allow this work to take place.

"We're working hard in the background to ensure you're kept up to date and how you can still interact with our services while the building is closed.

"Look out for details on our 'home from home' updates."

County Councillor Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services at Lancashire County Council, added: "The temporary closure of the Harris is a key milestone in the journey to realising the ambitious Harris Your Place project for Preston and Lancashire.

"I am pleased we are able to continue the library and IT services from the temporary Harris 'home from home' in the Guild Hall.

"Here visitors will be able to borrow and browse, log on, collect reservations and enjoy the book of the month from Monday October 18.

"This is an exciting time for The Harris and we can't wait for the project to begin to preserve and celebrate The Harris' original features and protect them for future generations to enjoy."

The Harris re-imagining project arms to create a cultural, civic and community hub at Preston and Lancashire's premier art gallery, museum and library.

The Harris, which consists of an art gallery, museum, library and café, is one of the leading museums, galleries and libraries in the region.

Host to art collections of national significance, exciting activities and events for all ages and an award-winning contemporary art programmed, the Harris welcomed over 380,000 visitors in 2018/2019.

Leader of Preston City Council, Councillor Matthew Brown, said: "While it is sad to see the doors of the iconic Harris building temporarily close, this is the culmination of years of work to establish the right plans and secure funding for this important and beloved Preston asset.

"This is a key step forward in delivering the Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, which sees significant investment into projects that represent positive change in the city.

"It is a strong example of the power of collaboration and commitment to delivering our ambitions for Preston that benefits everyone."

In March 2021 the Harris was granted £4.5m from The National Lottery Heritage Fund - the critical final piece of funding needed to deliver an ambitious £10.02m reimagining of the iconic Grade I listed building.

Called 'Harris Your Place', the capital scheme has also been made possible thanks to a further £3.6m from Preston City Council; Lancashire County Council; the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal; Arts Council England, the Friends of the Harris and public donations.

Other key supporters include the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal, the Harris Trust and the Harris Charity.

Harris Your Place will make the Harris the UK's first blended museum, art gallery and library and make the building more accessible to welcome an additional 100,000 visitors per year with a community-led programme of exhibitions, activities and events.

Due to commence in autumn 2021, works will return the building to its original splendour and reveal some of the Harris' original architectural details, which have previously been hidden.

The Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme is a bold and transformational development programme in Preston's Harris Quarter that will be delivered between 2021 and 2026.

It has been kick-started by a £20.9million Town Deal which Preston secured in March 2021 as part of the government's £3.6billion Towns Fund, established to help level up towns and cities around the country.

The Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme is focussed on a number of regeneration projects across culture, leisure, residential, infrastructure, community and education, and is part of the Preston City Investment Plan (CIP).

The Preston Towns Fund bid was led by the Preston Towns Fund Board, a sub-committee of the Preston Partnership.

Towns Fund is a £3.6billion fund established by the government and managed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to level up towns and cities around the country.

In 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth.

A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between government, the Lead Council and the Town Deal Board. It will set out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision.

Each of the 101 towns selected to work towards a Town Deal also received accelerated funding in 2020 for investment in capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places "build back better" in the wake of Covid-19.

You can follow the project's progress via the Harris website and social media channels, where news will be shared on upcoming pop-up exhibitions and Halloween half-term family activities and where they'll take place.