Work is due to start on a new museum at the site of the UK home of the anti-apartheid movement.

It will be housed in a currently run-down Georgian townhouse at 28 Penton Street, near Angel, which was formerly the London headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC).

Islington Gazette previously reported that there were plans to build a museum on the site, but that additional funding was required for work to begin.

The Liliesleaf Trust, the charity behind the project, has now secured a £1.2 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the new centre.

In December last year, charity director Caroline Kamana said she hoped the Centre of Memory and Learning would open its doors in 2024.

The museum will consist of a permanent exhibition, a cafe, a community garden, an archive, a learning studio and a shared workspace, as well as areas for temporary exhibitions.

The main funder for the project is the mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund, which supports regeneration projects.

It has already awarded the Liliesleaf Trust a grant of £1 million for the museum.

Additional funding during the development stage has come from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which initially provided the project with more than £250,000.

Stuart McLeod, London and South director at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We are delighted to support The Liliesleaf Trust UK to help them transform this historic building and share the story of the Anti-Apartheid Movement.

“Through the project, a fantastic new space will be created that is fitting for such an important historic movement and for the people it represents.”

The ANC headquarters at 28 Penton Street were bombed in 1982 by members of the apartheid regime’s security services.

Emily Thornberry, MP for Islington South and Finsbury, said: “I fully support the development of the Anti-Apartheid Legacy: Centre of Memory and Learning, aimed at empowering contemporary communities with the heritage and values of the Southern African liberation struggle and the crucial contribution of British civil society to this cause.

“The importance of ensuring the preservation of our collective past in the struggle against apartheid and all forms of racism and inequality cannot be underestimated, as we work together towards the building of a just and fair society.”