MAJOR overhauls are planned to save a museum housed in a deteriorating Norman church.

Colchester’s Natural History Museum, based in the 14th century All Saints’ Church, High Street, sits among a wealth of ancient history, including Colchester Castle.

But its exterior and stained glass windows are in need of repair, while museum bosses say its wildlife garden has proved difficult to maintain and the churchyard is overgrown.

Furthermore, the environmental conditions in the stores are far from desirable and, as a result, some of the displays have proven vulnerable to infestation.

A consultation has now been launched by the museum’s bosses at Colchester Council to make it fit for the future, with plans for an extension and basic café and meeting space among proposals.

Museum manager Frank Hargrave says the council is hoping residents will pay a visit to the free-to-enter museum where they can see consultation boards and have their say on the venue’s future.

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He said: “We carried out a load of visual surveys before the pandemic but there may be other problems we’re not aware of where, as time goes on, we’re going to need to invest more.

“Fortunately, most of the damage we have seen is largely superficial and has just occurred where the infrastructure is becoming outdated.

“There is nothing desperately wrong, there’s just a lot of inefficiencies. However, the council has limited resources and it’s just important we get it to a point where it’s not deteriorating any further.

“The museum is in an OK condition, it just needs a bit of love. We see this as a great opportunity to make it as refreshing and interesting as possible for people to continue enjoying.”

Colchester Council’s heritage boss Darius Laws admitted the museum, which attracts about 30,000 visitors a year, could do with some TLC.

He added: “Old buildings must have a function in order to survive, and I’m conscious this church is in need of some TLC which poses an opportunity to explore how we can enhance the museum experience.”

You can have your say on the plans by visiting the museum and viewing the consultation boards