The keys to one of Lancashire's best museums have officially been handed over to a construction company ready for its £14million transformation.

Conlon Construction Ltd were appointed as the main contractor for the Harris Your Place project back in April.

Harris Your Place is a £14million project to restore and reimagine the Harris Museum in Preston.

And since April, Conlon has been working closely with the project team to refine the costs of the scheme and develop the programme for delivery.

They are now ready to move onto site and start the refurbishment, with the keys to the Harris formally handed over to them.

Internal works will start in the Harris including surveys and asbestos removal, as well as installation of hoardings to create a safe working environment, scaffolding erection and preparation for the contractors to start on site.

In preparation for the monumental refurbishment, more than 250,000 objects have been removed from the building and placed into safe storage.

Oil paintings, watercolours, sculptures, drawings and prints have been individually cleaned with a brush and conservation vacuum cleaner.

A team of expert movers closely condition-checked the artworks and frames with a torch, before each painting was wrapped or crated and catalogued ready for storage.

The Harris worked with professional decant contractors, Restore Harrow Green to carefully pack up and remove the collections.

The Harris ceremonial metal key will be handed over from Councillor Peter Kelly, cabinet member for arts and culture at Preston City Council to Michael Conlon, chairman of Conlon Construction.

Councillor Kelly said: "It's a fantastic achievement to get to this stage of the Harris Your Place capital project.

"What a real team effort it's been - decanting the museum with world-class collection items cleaned, protected, catalogued and moved into safe storage, all in preparation for the Harris Your Place renovations to begin.

"The ceremonial handing over of the keys to Conlon Construction is a remarkable step forward in this transformational journey."

Designed by Alfred Gilbert they key was initially used to open the Harris back in 1893 by Arthur Stanley, the 16th Earl of Derby.

The key consists of an Art Nouveau taste openwork terminal, enclosing a rock crystal drop below a finial crown.

It also features an enamelled coats of arms from the Stanley family, impaled with the arms of his wife, Lady Constance Villers, the eldest daughter of the 4th Earl of Clarendon.

Mr Conlon, added: "Accepting the ceremonial keys to the Harris, a building of tremendous cultural and historical significance to the city of Preston, is a huge honour.

"Conlon Construction has called the city home for the last 60 years and the Harris fed the imaginations of our team on visits when we were children.

"It even served as the venue for my own wedding last year. Our many connections to the Harris make this quite a unique and special project for all of us at Conlon.

"We're proud to undertake the refurbishments readying it for the next phase of its incredible history.

"It's an exciting, 21st century facility which will support the needs of the city and the county for generations to come."

When the new Harris opens in Spring 2024, inventive blended displays will give access to remarkable collections.

New spaces have been designed to activate curiosity, creativity and reflection and offer library services in enriched settings, positioning the Harris as a uniquely blended venue, true to its original purpose. 

The new Harris aims to attract a further 100,000 visitors a year on top of the existing 350,000 and will be a real visitor destination for Preston and Lancashire.

The Harris is currently operating from other local spaces around Preston including the Guild Hall.