A £2 million museum that will house many of the ancient and priceless artefacts in the care of St Andrews University has just come a massive leap closer with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund of nearly half a million pounds.

The news means not only will the items be safeguarded for the future, but that public access to what will be a truly fascinating collection is assured.

The £449,000 grant has been secured by the Museum Collections Unit, while funds from the university, a range of other bodies and private donations have brought the funding total to over £1 million pounds, with fund-raising ongoing.

The museum will be located in a restored coach house next to the School of Art History and will be known as MUSA (Museum of the University of St Andrews). It will house four galleries, an education centre (called the Learning Loft) and a terrace with views over St Andrews Bay. It is expected that work will begin on-site in May and that the museum will open in summer, 2008.

Emma-Jane McAdam, project curator of the museum collections unit, said the university’s historically significant and important collections are currently scattered around a number of university sites.

With the completion of MUSA, she said, a central museum facility will be created to show artefacts and specimens from all the university’s collections together in one place for the first time.

“We hope that it will appeal to all types of visitor—the local community, school children and tourists to the area as well as students and staff of the university,” she said.

Artefacts which will be on permanent public display in MUSA include the university’s three medieval maces, which are currently only on show during graduation ceremonies.

Other items include the Thomas Chalmers window from St Salvator’s College Chapel, college silver, an oil painting by Scottish colourist Samuel Peploe and silver archery medals won by famous students between 1620 and 1750.

The award will also provide a launchpad for afive-year learning and access programme. The programme aims to encourage new audiences, especially primary and secondary school groups, community groups, lifelong learners and audiences from across Fife, to visit the new museum and participate in activities such as object-handling sessions, art and craft workshops, talks, tours and performances in the museum’s Learning Loft.