Gunnersbury Park Museum will close for major renovation works from next week as a £21 million refurbishment of the park and its buildings gets underway.
The museum, on the borders of Brentford and Acton, will shut from 4pm next Tuesday, December 23, and is not due to reopen until the improvements are completed in spring 2017.
While the transformation takes place, the museum's education programme will be run in the Small Mansion next door.
Ealing and Hounslow councils, which jointly manage the park in Popes Lane, also hope to arrange temporary displays of the museum's collection and to make it available to view online.
The Grade II-listed Large Mansion, which is home to the museum, will receive much-needed repairs inside and out, and display rooms will be created to showcase the museum's collections and the park's history.
A lift will be installed and learning spaces and a carriage display gallery will be created beside the new park café.
Hounslow and Ealing councils received £8.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund earlier this year to repair Gunnersbury Park's crumbling historic structures. The councils have invested extra cash to restore the park to its former glory.
Councillor Sachin Gupta, Hounslow's cabinet member for public health and leisure, said: "Though it's sad to see the much-loved museum close temporarily, the renovation work will help to make Gunnersbury a standout London attraction for residents and visitors to enjoy for years to come."
