The Bermuda Maritime Museum (BMM) has evolved into a new National Museum of Bermuda.

The move was announced last night with a land transfer by Government of the Casemate Barracks, its adjacent buildings and fortifications.

The expanded site will house exhibits on all aspects of Bermuda life over the centuries attractions ranging from local crafts to sport, immigration to onions, and Bermuda Shorts to the Bermuda Triangle.

Premier Dr. Ewart Brown said last night: "Cabinet considers our 400th Anniversary Year an appropriate time to establish the National Museum of Bermuda."

He said the transfer of land would be accompanied by a 99-year lease from the West End Development Corporation (Wedco).

Dr. Edward Harris, BMM executive director, said: "I am delighted that Cabinet has acknowledged the evolution of the Maritime Museum into a National Museum.

"The physical expansion of the Maritime Museum underscores its stature as a national institution.

"The Museum was established in the ten-acre Keep in 1974 and has successfully restored the great Commissioner's House and other historic buildings of the Keep since then."

He said the addition of the Casemate Barracks and its surrounding structures would provide an additional five acres of heritage site.

"The new museum will contain all of the fortifications in Dockyard and the buildings within them," Dr. Harris told The Royal Gazette.

"It is a very unusual site by nature of its shape."

He said the new structures would be connected to the existing BMM site by the North West Rampart.

Restoration work has been underway at the Casemate Barracks for the past three-and-a-half years, and Dr. Harris said it would take another five to ten years to complete the new museum.

However the North West Rampart will be opened up "quite quickly" so people can walk along to take a look at Casemates.

Dr. Harris said: "I think the Museum Trustees, staff and volunteers are looking forward to the challenge of the acquisition of the Casemate Barracks.

"We have a proven track record over the last 35 years of taking the existing museum from a ruin to the wonderful establishment it is today, and we are looking forward to the challenge of making this a magnificent site for residents and visitors alike."

Robert Steinhoff, BMM chairman, added: "I am extremely proud of the creation of the new museum and I look forward to continuing our leadership in the preservation of our national treasures and serving Bermudians and visitors, alike."

In addition to restoring Casemates, its associated buildings and forts, the National Museum of Bermuda will also aim to expand research, publications and programmes on the Island's heritage.

It will also admit local residents free of charge every December and January, while children will gain free entry year-round.

Among the exhibits planned, expanding on areas already covered by the BMM, are:

l Decorative Arts: furniture, local crafts, kite-making;

l Architecture: all aspects of Bermuda's unique architecture;

l Archaeology: research, publication and display of land sites;

l Transportation Through the Ages: carriages, trains, bikes, mopeds;

l Music and Dance: entertainment and performance history, including instruments, Gombey costumes and traditions;

l Agriculture: history, equipment and lifestyles;

l Postal History: a national stamp and postal cover collection;

l Sports and Recreation: history and memorabilia on cricket, football, running and other sports;

l Settlement: immigration histories and personal possessions;

l Education and Schools: history and mementos;

l Religious Institutions and Community: the story of religion in Bermuda;

l Dockyard Defences: the evolving role of the Keep, Ramparts and Casemates Barracks, including interpretation of the building during its time as a prison;

l International Business: a collection of artifacts relating to international business;

l Civil Rights: the histories of women and people of African and Portuguese descent, plus newer immigrants;

l Domestic Life: how Bermudians lived through the centuries; household artefacts;

l Bermuda's Contribution to World Heritage: Bermuda rig and sloops, marine science discoveries, Bermuda onions, cassava pie, Bermuda shorts and the Bermuda Triangle.