A UNIQUE museum came of age on Saturday as it celebrated its 21st birthday by moving in to the same standards league as the nation's top cultural centres.

A UNIQUE museum came of age on Saturday as it celebrated its 21st birthday by moving in to the same standards league as the nation's top cultural centres.

Fakenham Museum of Gas and Local History was presented with its certificate of accreditation from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, which proves it has gone through rigorous tests to prove its standards.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum and National Gallery are among the other places with the accreditation.

The Fakenham museum - located in the town's old gasworks - is the only gas museum left in England and Wales.

The certificate was presented by Mid Norfolk MP Keith Simpson, who criticised government for lack of funding for such projects.

“If anything is to do with arts and culture then national government is happy to throw millions of pounds at it but anything to do with science, industry and technology are the poor relations.”

Mr Simpson - a keen historian - added: “These certificates are not handed out lightly and all credit to everyone involved.”

Museum chairman Dr Mike Bridges said: “This is quite a thing for Fakenham and we are extremely pleased to have it. Fakenham museum is unique and there is no other museum in England and Wales which has a complete gasworks. We should be justifiably proud of having it in our

town.”

The certificate was presented during a short ceremony for friends, volunteers and local dignitaries at the museum.

The museum is on Hempton Road. Tel: 01328 863150 (group visits 01328 863507). Website: www.northnorfolk.org/fakenham museum. E-mail: gaslhmus@hotmail.com.