A long-established museum in a north Suffolk seaside town has opened its doors in its new temporary home for the summer.The Southwold Museum and Historical Society has taken up temporary residency in the Committee Room in the Town Hall this week.

A long-established museum in a north Suffolk seaside town has opened its doors in its new temporary home for the summer.

The Southwold Museum and Historical Society has taken up temporary residency in the committee room in the town hall this week.

The move comes after the society closed its Victoria Street building for a programme of major refurbishment and internal redesign helped by a £312,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant as well as funding from the Southwold Trust and the Adnams Charity .

It will be based in the town hall Monday to Saturday until July 21 (excluding May 31) and will be opening daily from 2pm to 4.30pm. Entry is free but donations are welcome.

The transformed museum is due to reopen on Good Friday next year.

Paul Scriven, president of the Southwold Museum and Historical Society, said he thought it was important for the museum to keep a presence in the town in the meantime.

He said: "It's very important so people know that we are still flourishing and also to keep the stewards on stream."

Mr Scriven said they are not "rehashing the old stuff" but that there are new exhibits on display.

There are tasters of what will be on display in the refurbished museum next year, which includes photographs and objects about Southwold's pre-history, natural history, industry, leisure and tourism and coastal erosion.

There is also a second small exhibition of captioned photographs about Andrew Matthews and the Homes

of Rest in Covert Road, Reydon.

The society, which is a registered charity, has more than 400 members and always welcomes more people to join.

Anyone interested in joining should contact Hilary Huckstep at 01502 724840.

The museum has an office in Southwold and always welcomes items for the collection. Call 01502 726097 or contact the Museum through its website at www.southwoldmuseum.org