The hall's boiler room will be turned back into a kitchen

A total of £4.5m in lottery money is to be spent to open up to the public new parts of Wollaton Hall, which was built in 1588.

The hall, owned by Nottingham City Council and home to the city's Natural History Museum, is set in a 50-acre deer park.

Allan Dillon of Nottingham City Council said: "Parts of the hall, such as the boiler room which was originally a kitchen, will be returned to their previous function.

Steel trusses

"This will show the public what is was like to cook meals in Elizabethan times."

The money will also pay for maintenance work.

"The trusses were placed in the hall to stop the roof from caving in - for safety," said Councillor Leon Unczur.

"All of the trusses will be removed and the hall will be returned to its former glory."

The work will start in May 2005 and take 18 months to complete.