Curator Steve McLean and Lindy Galliland inside the Hancock. Exhibits have been rehoused for the duration of the works. Courtesy Tyne & Wear Museums

The six-foot tuna, the 10,000-year-old giant deer antlers and an enormous bison have all been packed away – now work has begun on the actual building of the Hancock Museum in Newcastle Upon Tyne, closed for a major refurbishment since April 2006.

The back extension of the museum is being knocked down to be replaced with a new wing that will house a special exhibitions space for the blockbusters the Hancock is well known for. The £26 million Great North Museum project will also see a new learning suite and a purpose-built library constructed at the Hancock.

“This is the first part of the museum redevelopment that can be seen from the outside of the museum and it is very exciting,” said Project Manager Lindy Galliland of the initial works.

“I want to reassure people that we are not demolishing the museum and that it is only the back of the building which is not part of the original structure that we are removing and extending.”

Steve McLean, curator of the Hancock Museum, looks on as demolition work gets underway on the back extension. Courtesy Tyne & Wear Museums

The redeveloped Hancock will feature a wealth of new exhibits including a life sized T-Rex dinosaur skeleton. © Tyne and Wear Museums

“The redevelopment of the museum will enhance the original features of the building both inside and out,” she added, “whilst updating displays and facilities to create a world-class visitor attraction for the 21st century.”

The new museum is due to reopen in 2009, when it will be a flagship visitor attraction incorporating collections from the Hancock, Newcastle University’s Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery. Major new displays will include a large-scale, interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall and a planetarium.

In the meantime, the Hancock’s Land of the Pharaohs display has been moved to Segedunum Roman Fort and the popular live animals are in a mini zoo at South Shields Museum.