MORE than 800 celebrities, guests and supporters converged on Gilbert White’s House Museum in Selborne to celebrate the re-opening of a £3m renovation.

They joined BBC rural affairs correspondent Tom Heap, who cut the ribbon to relaunch officially the Gilbert White and The Oates Collections which tell the story of three explorers of the natural world - Gilbert White, Frank Oates and Laurence Oates.

In the last year, the museum has undergone a major rebuild with new galleries, a new visitor entrance, café, shop, and library, opening up Gilbert White’s 18th Century stable yard previously never seen before by the public.

The Countryfile presenter’s deep knowledge of nature and conservation and his fascination with exploration made him the ideal person to re-open a museum dedicated to furthering the exploration of the natural world.

In his speech, Mr Heap said: “We are celebrating three characters, very connected both to nature and the way we see the environment in the modern world.”

Of the relaunch, chairman of trustees Dr Rosemary Irwin said it represented a clear vision of the future.

“Our central purpose is to open up this museum so that it can be a doorway through which all can gain knowledge of, and involvement in, the natural world and its heritage, and help ensure it flourishes,” she said.

“Our unique collection of heritage assets should be a springboard, inspiring our visitors to make their own journeys into the natural world.”

The project was made possible thanks to a £1.8m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and has been supported by numerous other private donors, among them UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, Hampshire County Council, Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, the Sir Siegmund Warburg Charitable Trust, the Arts Council, the HB Allen Trust, as well as private individuals.

Helen Jackson, from the Heritage Lottery Fund, said it was proud to support the “exciting vision” put forward by the museum, adding that it had been “one of the most imaginative and well thought out projects the Heritage Lottery Fund had ever been presented with.”

Visitors were also able to witness the opening of a new area for the garden team by patron Lady Catherine Stevenson.

In addition, there were conducted tours of the revitalised museum, and entertainment in the gardens by the colourful, dancing Lions of Zululand.

The museum’s new Frank Oates gallery tells the story of his travels in Matabeleland, a region of Zimbabwe, where he encountered Zulus and Ndebele tribes, and saw similar dancing displays at the court of Lobengula, the Ndebele king.

The day also broke important new ground for the museum with the launch – for the first time and freely available to everyone – of a digital version of the manuscript of The Natural History of Selborne on its website.

The Natural History of Selborne has never been out of print since it was published in 1789 and is thought to be the fourth most published book in the English language. For the first time, fans of this important work will be able to see the text in Gilbert White’s own hand, complete with his annotations and crossings out.

The project to digitise the manuscript was backed by naturalist, nature photographer and TV presenter Chris Packham, who clearly remembers the effect first reading The Natural History of Selborne had on him as a boy.

“I don’t think there is any doubt that Gilbert White’s influence has been significant and profound when it comes to natural historians,” he said.

The museum relaunch comes just in time for Gilbert White’s third annual nature festival, offering 24 hours of nature exploration with events running from 5pm to midnight on Sunday, May 27, and from 10.30am-5pm on Monday, May 28.

Based at Gilbert White’s Field Studies Centre, visitors on Sunday will be able to experience tractor rides and the chance to discover swifts, bats, moths and the nocturnal world, while on Bank Holiday Monday the main festival will take the form of a family fun day with hands-on activities and talks, some requiring pre-booking but many which can be joined on the day.

They will also provide an opportunity to meet the animals and plants of Selborne and the surrounding areas, including reptiles, cattle, bees and worms.

There will be stalls offering interactive nature activities, enabling visitors to collect stamps in a nature passport, which will act as a reminder of the fun had during a packed day.

The museum will be working in collaboration with organisations which celebrate, explore and protect the natural world such as the RSPB, the South Downs National Park Authority, the National Trust, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Hampshire Fungus Recording Group, Hampshire Bat Group, Fresh Water Habitats Trust, and Hampshire Ornithological Society.

Highlights of the day will include tours of Selborne Common with National Trust warden Chris Webb, nature-themed entertainment, advice on how you can protect birds and bees, bird-watching walks with the Hampshire Ornithological Society and television star Matthew Oates’ talk on the Purple Emperor butterfly.

n For more details or to get involved, visit gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk.