North Lincolnshire Council (NLC) has revealed that Normanby Hall Country Park near Scunthorpe has been awarded museum status due to the historic nature of some of its features.

The park's Walled Garden and Coach House are among the attractions that have led to the classification of the newly-renamed Normanby Hall Museum and Country Park, which already includes a Farming Musuem. Normanby Hall's farming attraction provides visitors with the opportunity to explore rural life in North Lincolnshire through a series of reconstructions, while the new Grass Roots exhibition for 2010 will look at the development of grass-cutting technology over the last two centuries.

NLC cabinet member for sport, leisure and culture Christine O'Sullivan said: "Many people who visit Normanby Hall or the Park often don't realise they have visited a museum, but they have. "Sport England is currently carrying out an Active People telephone survey in the area, and some questions may ask residents about the museums they have visited. So it's worth remembering that if you have ever visited Normanby, you have visited a museum."

Image: North Lincolnshire Council