THE Museum of Oxford's basement could become the 'World of Alice in Wonderland' to attract more visitors.

The idea, raised by consultants and involving more than £1m of investment, is one of several options being considered by councillors looking to secure the museum's long term future.

The museum, beside Oxford Town Hall in St Aldates, was faced with a fresh closure threat after neither the city council or the county council said it was prepared to spend an estimated £87,000 to keep it open.

The city council, which put up £40,000 to keep the beleaguered museum open last year, backed out of putting up more money amid allegations that the county council had bumped up running costs.

On Friday, city councillors must decide whether to take over the running of the museum independently of the county council - or see it close at the end of the month.

To help them, a team of independent consultants has come up with ideas expected to turn the museum into a profitable attraction - including recreating the fantasy world of former Oxford don Lewis Carroll. Cllr Pat Stannard, chairman of the city council's estates committee, said: "We would like the museum to continue and we can think of many ways it can be run in the long term.

"There is money that we could put in to keep it going but the snag is that there are other things we could spend the money on."

Any money injected into the museum would have to be found in the council's savings.

Future investment, including extending the museum into the town hall, is also planned. Councillors are expected to apply for lottery funding.

An Alice World would probably attract up to 160,000 visitors a year, compared to 70,000 now. Families would "go down the rabbit hole" to the display, which is aimed at altering a perceived lack of attractions for children in Oxford.

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