A telephone box will become the Clifftown Telephone Museum after a conservation society was granted almost £10,000 in national lottery funding.

The Clifftown Conservation Society is benefitting from the national lottery grant for the project, which centres on the Victorian heritage of Southend and the wider area.

And with the funding, the well-known telephone box standing in Alexandra Road will be transformed into a museum, with schools and community centres in the area set to be involved.

Laura Khan, of the conservation society said: “The team are thrilled to have received funding from the National Lottery.

"The Clifftown Telephone Museum is one step closer to a full restoration and an audio history report which will enrich the area and connect to people of all ages.”

The £9,800 grant will also see schools and a local community centre for adults with learning disabilities involved with the project by hosting art competitions within their schools and centres.

They will then be invited to submit their winning piece to the society, which will then be turned into a mosaic.

The mosaics will be put on display in the iconic K6 British Telephone Box, and will be rotated between groups and organisations.

The telephone box, is situated in the heart of the early Victorian conservation area and will serve as the central hub for the audio history of the area.

There will be an audio solar post beside it which will allow residents and visitors to access historical information on Southend, while the inside will have a major makeover.

This year, the Clifftown Conservation Area is celebrating 160 years since the first brick was laid in the area, designating it as an area of conservation.

It is hoped the project, supported by the heritage lottery fund, will enable Southend residents and visitors from further afield to explore the history of Southend.