Foyles

Oxford is to open a museum dedicated to storytelling as part of its bid to become Unesco's World Book Capital in 2014.

The Story Museum, which has existed on the internet for the past four years, has received a GBP 2.5 million donation from an anonymous private benefactor, allowing it to sign a lease on Rochester House.

Patrons of the museum include children's authors such as Philip Pullman, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo.

Story Museum director Kim Pickin commented: 'Dreams do come true: we are absolutely delighted to have a real home at last.'

She also pointed out that the building is close to Christ Church College, where scenes from the Harry Potter films were shot, and claimed it would have been known to Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll.

A public campaign will be launched to raise the remaining GBP 11 million which is needed for the museum, which Pullman described as a 'wonderful gift from Oxford' to the world, to open by 2014.

The Story Museum was launched online in 2005 to show the importance of stories to children and has been welcomed by writers such as Richard Adams, Humphrey Carpenter and Ted Dewan.