THE demolition of the toilet block at Burnley's Towneley Hall may flush out more clues to the historic hall's past.

The toilets were cleared after bulldozers moved onto the site this week -- the start of the £1.5million improvements at the museum which will take over a year to complete.

Archaeologists are expected to return soon to excavate the foundations of the site where servants' quarters once stood.

Local historian James Howell says the last buildings to stand on the site were a single-storey building at the side of the hall which was used as a dairy and dated from the early 19th century and a two storey house next to it built in about 1875, which was occupied by the gardeners.

He believes a new dig could also uncover evidence of life at the Towneley family residence stretching back to the 15th century.

Last year a team from Matrix Archaeology in Manchester excavated close to the toilet block and discovered pieces of glass and pottery from the 17th and 18th centuries , which are now on display in the hall.

The major improvement plan at Towneley -- with £1.1million coming from a Heritage Lottery grant -- is aimed at attracting thousands more visitors to the famous art gallery and museum.

A new wing will be built onto the council-owned Grade I listed country house on the site of a demolished service wing, providing school rooms, library, shop, toilets and a lift and ramps to improve access to the mainly 18th century building.

Rooms which have been used as offices for years will be re-opened to the public and there will be new displays, interactive computer displays and new education services.

The extension will allow many valuable collections, some kept in store for over 50 years, to go back on public display.

The package includes extended opening, which could result in the gallery opening its doors on Saturdays and in the evenings.

Better customer facilities could also bring a boom in social functions at the hall, already popular because of its superb setting, but presently restricted by lack of toilet and other services.

The hall, the jewel in the crown of Burnley's greatest assets, set in nearly 300 acres of parkland, dates back to the 14th century but has been subject to many changes and alterations since.

It contains period rooms in the style of the 17th century and has been described as "the the finest early Georgian interior in the country," attracting around 48,000 visitors a year.

The home of the Towneley family since the 15th century, it was sold to Burnley council for £17,500 in 1901.