Abingdon's museum is set for a £3.5m makeover thanks to a successful Lottery bid.

The museum, in the Old County Hall, Market Place, announced today that it had received just short of the £2m it had asked from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The changes will also offer the chance for a new exhibition on the town's finest export - MG cars.

The grant, for £1.99m, will mean a lift will be built at back of the building in East St Helen Street, which would serve the basement area.

It would only go up as far as the main exhibition hall, known as the Sessions Hall.

Abingdon Town Council originally wanted the lift to rise to the second-floor attic, so that more exhibition space could be accessible, but English Heritage has ruled this out.

The idea of non-reflective glass being installed in the arches - to create space in the outside undercroft - was also dropped.

Museum curator Lauren Gilmour said: "We have just been amazingly lucky, we have got in by the skin of our teeth.

"The museum has always believed strongly that this service should be available free of charge to everyone and so it's open every day of the week.

"But not everybody has been able to access it because of the steep stairs and so we are absolutely delighted that it will now genuinely be open to everyone."

A refurbishment is planned for the basement, which will include new public and disabled toilets, a cafe and education centre.

Town councillor Julie Mayhew-Archer, who is also chairman of the museum management committee, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to bring a much loved building, the symbol of Abingdon, into active use for the 21st century.

"The elderly, the disabled, and even parents with buggies will be able to use the building and reach exhibitions that they are currently unable to visit as they cannot manage the large number of stairs."

The council put in its bid for the listed building in December last year. It must now fund the remaining £1,500,000. Town clerk Nigel Warner said that the museum will attempt to raise £500,000 through charity grants and individual gifts while the town council hopes to have help from the Vale of White Horse District Council and Oxfordshire County Council to come up with the rest.

It is hoped that work will start on the museum in 2010 and should be complete by 2012.