Welcome to the 24 Hour Museum news in brief page for the week ending January 6 2008. This page is updated every day.

04.01.2007 - Dr Who breaks all the records at Machester museum

When the Doctor Who exhibition closes on Sunday January 6 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Machester (MOSI) it will have sold more tickets than any other MOSI exhibition.

Doctor Who Up-Close will have attracted over 225,000 visitors - breaking all previous temporary exhibition records at the museum and in the process making the city a focal point for Dr Who fans worldwide.

“Doctor Who has been a fantastic success for the Museum and for Manchester," said Tony Hill, Acting Director of MOSI. "It’s attracted thousands of people into the city from all over the country and has put us on the map for Doctor Who fans worldwide."

03.01.2008 – Watts Gallery to sell off two paintings

Following a change in the Museum Association’s guidelines for de-accessioning, the Watts Gallery in Surrey will be selling two of its paintings in order to raise about £1 million.

The two paintings, Albert Moore’s Triumph of Love (1880) and Edward Burne-Jones’ Sleeping Woman (1871) are being offered to public collections first, but it is unlikely that any will come forward in the UK, either due to lack of funds or interest.

The paintings will then be sold at auction, with the proceeds going towards the upkeep of the gallery devoted mainly to GF Watts (1817-1904). The gallery is to undergo a major refurbishment from September 2008 thanks to a £4.3m Heritage Lottery Grant.

The Museum Association now permits museums to sell items from collections under certain circumstances.

03.01.2008 – Historic Miners Institute building reopens in Wales

The historic Miners Institute building in Llanhilleth, near Abertillery, Wales, has been transformed into a community centre, which will open to the public on January 7 2008.

More than 100 years after it first opened, the building now contains a function hall, café, training rooms, IT facilities and interactive library, reflecting the original purpose of such institutes across the valleys of South Wales.

03.01.2008 – Roman marching camp confirmed in Scotland

A site that aerial photographs first suggested to have connections with the Roman occupation in Scotland has been confirmed as a Roman marching camp.

The site, at Glencorse, near Penicuik, is on land owned by Scottish Water, who found unusual features in the soil when recently digging there. On calling the regional archaeologist, it was confirmed that the site must have been part of the network of Roman bases, watchtowers and camps across lowland Scotland about 2,000 years ago.

Planned treatment works have now been relocated to preserve the archaeological feature.

02.01.2008 - Church based on 13th century Rievaulx 'Slipper Chapel' restored

Repair work backed by English Heritage on a historic Yorkshire church related to Rievaulx Abbey has been completed.

Grade II-listed St Mary’s, Rievaulx, near Helmsley, was built 100 years ago on the ruins of a medieval chapel where visitors who were not allowed into the inner precinct of the great 12th century Cistercian abbey, Rievaulx, could pray.

Incorporated into the 20th century stonework of St Mary’s is medieval masonry from this chapel, known as a Slipper Chapel as worshippers had to remove their shoes. One ancient stone is inscribed ‘Rievallens’, meaning Rievaulx. The original church fell into disrepair after the Dissolution.

Restoration of the Temple Moores designed St Mary’s has been funded by parishioners along with grants from English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund, North York Moors National Park and the Historic Churches Preservation Trust as well as individual benefactors.

Picture shows fundraiser and project manager Mike Ingle at the church.

02.01.2008 - Glasgow garage upgraded to category A listing status

A garage built in the early 1900s for residents of the grand Glasgow tenements to park their cars in has had its listed status upgraded from category B to A by Historic Scotland.

The Arnold Clark Garage, also known as the Botanics Garage, on Vinicombe Street, is a rare surviving example of an early multi-storey car park – possibly the oldest of its type in Scotland.

02.01.2008 - Fermanagh County Museum acquires piece of monastic heritage

A 19th century copy of an important medieval book shrine has been acquired at auction for Fermanagh County Museum, with the help of one of the museum’s patrons. Book shrines are decorated and valuable boxes for holding the gospels.

The original bronze and silver St Molaise book shrine, or Soiscel Molaise, from Devenish Island on Lough Erne, is now at the National Museum of Ireland. St Molaise founded the monastery on Devenish Island in the 6th century.

Museum patron Lord Belmore discovered the copy of the original 11th century receptacle in a Bonham’s auction catalogue, and the museum was able to raise £800 from its Association of Friends plus match funding from Fermanagh District Council to acquire this piece of history, which will now go on display at Enniskillen Castle.