A LAKELAND museum is on the crest of a wave after being awarded a multi-million pound lottery grant.

The Windermere Steamboat Museum has won £7.4million to re-develop into a tourist attraction, becoming the only project north of London to win a share of £52million of Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) cash.

An original £494,000 has been granted, but the full compliment of cash will be awarded if plans are stuck to in the next two years.

Gordon Watson, Chief Executive Officer of the Lakeland Arts Trust which runs the museum, said that money from the first stage of funding would be used to develop the designs for the new museum and to continue conservation work on the boats.

The intention is for all the work to be finished by 2015, which will include some of the boats going back on the water, and for tourists to view the vessels in dry docks.

Around seven acres of Windermere waterfront, owned by the museum, will also be opened up for visitors to arrive at the museum by boat.

Restoration will take place on every single vessel, each of which tells the story of boat building in the Lake District and how vessels were used for commerce and leisure since the 12th century.

Accredited training and apprenticeships in boat conservation also form a crucial part of the plans, as well as a learning programme for visitors of all ages and backgrounds.

“It’s an exciting time and the fact that we are the only project in the north to be gaining from this money emphasises how important the project is and how the HLF have seen that importance,” said Mr Watson.

“What we have here is a collection which is of national significance.

“We have the potential to be a major attraction in Bowness so we’re looking to make our collection available to the public.

"I think it will be a very popular attraction which will really enhance the area.”

The HLF money goes three-quarters of the way towards the museum completing a £10million refurbishment project, leaving the museum with another £2.5million to find in match-funding.