A GIANT dinosaur will greet visitors to a historic museum after £2.8 million of new funding was secured.

The Booth Museum in Brighton will receive a specially commissioned replica of an iguanodon as part of plans to create an “evolution gallery” and transform the site into an interactive science centre celebrating the work of Sussex fossil hunter Dr Gideon Mantell.

A successful bid made by Brighton and Hove’s Royal Pavilion and Museums to Arts Council England, will see almost £700,000 spent annually over the next four years to turn the spotlight on some of the city’s lesser-known museums.

The funding will also be used to increase access to Preston Manor and revitalise the kitchen gardens.

The funding will also be used to re-profile Hove Museum as a “museum of making” to encourage increased use of the venue’s craft and film and media collections.

The museum will get a maker in residence from the University of Brighton to share insights on collections with visitors, while collaboration with local film organisations, including the Brighton Youth Film Festival, Cine-City and Film Archive South East, will explore new ways of using the museum’s spaces and collections.

The jewel in the crown, the Royal Pavilion Estate, will also benefit with money for a series of exhibitions and displays to mark key milestones over the next four years, such as the 200th anniversary of the coronation of George IV and the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings.

Funding will also help shine a light on the work behind the scenes on the 12-year restoration of the Saloon room.

The project is due to be completed in 2018 and the new cash will pay for a display on the work of specialists involved in the painstaking work, including carpet makers, silk weavers, upholsterers, decorative artists and historians.

Alan Robins, culture committee chairman, said: “With intense competition for all aspects of public funding, this is fantastic news for the city’s culture.

“It is really important for us to make the collections accessible to everyone and for all our residents to experience the rich cultural heritage of Brighton and Hove.”

Hedley Swain, area director South East for Arts Council England, said: “We’re pleased to continue our support for Royal Pavilion and Museums’ work through the 2018/22 National Portfolio.

“It has a great track record of exciting exhibitions and displays that showcase its wide-ranging collections and we look forward to seeing them continue this important work.”