The New Year welcomes a new director for the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro.

Ian Wall is leaving his post as director of Creswell Heritage Trust on the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire border, where he has worked for over 20 years, to take up the new role in Truro at the beginning of January.

Bryan Preston, chair of trustees for the Royal Institution of Cornwall, the charity that owns and manages the Royal Cornwall Museum, said of Mr Wall’s appointment: “The selection of Ian Wall as the new director was a unanimous decision.

“Ian is not only passionate about collections, but about sharing them with local communities and visitors to the county.

“He took Creswell Heritage Trust through a period of major change and development and therefore has a wealth of experience, which will benefit the RIC as it approaches its bicentenary in 2018. We are delighted to welcome him and his family to Cornwall.”

The Royal Cornwall Museum has seen some exciting developments over the past decade, most notably the partnership with the British Museum, which resulted in the new ancient worlds gallery opening in June 2012.

This has provided a better home for the unwrapped mummy, Isef-tayef-nakht, and an improved space for Cornwall’s schoolchildren to enjoy the ever-popular Egyptian workshops.

Mr Wall met more than 100 members of the RIC at their Members’ Day in November.

He said he was attracted to the post because of the “outstanding” collections at the museum, and the opportunity to work with a wide range of organisations across Cornwall, as well as national and international partners.

He added: “This is a particularly exciting time to work at the RIC, a place which celebrates the rich and distinctive Cornish cultural heritage and its artistic expression. I am very excited about taking the RIC forward in to the next 200 years of its existence.”

The Royal Cornwall Museum is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4.45pm (excluding bank holidays and special Christmas closures). Entry to the museum is free to members of the RIC and anyone aged 18 or under. Adults pay £5 for an annual pass, which allows them to visit for free for the rest of the year.