The Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle upon Tyne has opened its doors to the public following a £26m transformation.

The natural history museum, designed by Sir Terry Farrell, is located in the former Hancock Museum, which was closed three years ago to undergo the redevelopment.

The new attraction houses 3,500 items from collections from the original Hancock Museum, Newcastle University's Museum of Antiquities and the Shefton Museum. The University's Hatton Gallery is also part of the Great North Museum but remains in its existing building.

The museum also includes a planetarium, a bio-wall displaying the diversity of life on Earth, a life-size replica T-Rex skeleton, Ancient Egyptian mummies and a large scale model of Hadrians Wall as well as examples of Greek art. A new temporary exhibition space is capable of housing large touring exhibitions and a library houses some of the North East England's most important collections on natural history and archaeology.

The project has been led by Newcastle University in partnership with Tyne & Wear Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Funding contributions also came from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£8.75m), One North East (£5m), the European Regional Development Fund, TyneWear Partnership, Northern Rock Foundation, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation and the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund.

Ivor Crowther, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North East, said:"We're delighted that the new Great North Museum: Hancock, with an investment of nearly £9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund, is now ready to welcome a whole new generation of visitors. This wonderful new museum will be brought back into the heart of the North East and will provide amazing new collections for everyone to enjoy."