TEACHER, artist and alien harbourer Neil Cole has gone "where no man has gone before", by opening Britain’s first Museum of Classic Sci-Fi at his home in Allendale.

The extraterrestrials live in the basement of Neil's family home, but they are by no means shy when it comes to meeting humankind, in fact it appears that's their mission on earth.

As I wandered through the blue-lit walkways of the museum, Neil introduced me to his collection of monsters.

I met the sinister, 6ft tall Cyberman from Doctor Who - who had holes for eyes, Marvel's tough-guy 'The Thing' - a creature made entirely from chunks of yellow rock, and infamous Dalek, who I half-expected to spring to life at any moment screaming "exterminate!"

"I want the museum to exude the same atmosphere as a ghost train." Neil said, as he gazed around at his figures, "It's somewhere that you can experience a thrill, whilst knowing you are in a safe environment."

The museum now boasts more than 100 items, including original film and television props and costumes, and model replications created by Neil himself.

Neil's fascination for all things otherworldly began for in childhood, when watching weekly episodes of Doctor Who became a way of bonding with his father.

"I looked forward to watching that episode with him all week," Neil said. "It was our time together, and very important to me.

"I suppose that’s why even now, I associate Doctor Who with feelings of happy, childhood nostalgia."

It was also during childhood that the first seeds of inspiration for the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi were planted.

On a family trip to Blackpool, Neil was taken to the Doctor Who exhibition, where he got to experience the living, breathing world of his favourite show for the first time.

"It was like entering Narnia," he said. "These on-screen monsters were moving and talking, a Dalek even shook my hand.

"Although they were only automatons, to my child-self they were alive.

"I want to recreate that feeling for people who visit my museum. I want to allow them to experience another world for 15 minutes."

As Neil grew, so did his love for sci-fi. He had comic books, novels, posters and video tapes of all his favourite films and TV series, but as a student, his pocket couldn't stretch as far enough to allow him to purchase any expensive collectables or props.

"I remember that the first Doctor Who auction was in 1990," Neil said. "I couldn't afford to buy anything at the time, but that didn’t stop me from poring over the auction's catalogue, and circling all things I wished I could afford."

Years later however, with student life behind him, Neil finally got his hands on his first collector's item but it came at a heavy price.

"I saw that Ohica's gown from Doctor Who had come up for auction, and I knew I had to have it, as I'd spent hours of my childhood gazing at that dress in library books. So, I sold my motorbike in order to buy it.

"People thought I was crazy at the time, but now the dress hangs in the museum as the first collection piece I owned, so it brings me joy every day, and was definitely worth the trade off of my bike."

It was from there that Neil's collection began to grow, and with the hype around Doctor Who beginning to slow down after the original series ended in 1989, props started to sell at more affordable prices.

For Neil however, the most sentimental props are those which have been kindly donated to the museum by sci-fi fans across the globe, which have helped to make his collection as large and varied as it is today.

"I have had people donate props to me from all around the world, which is amazing," Neil said. "A retired BBC effects specialist even donated a 1975 Doctor Who rifle, which was used by Tom Baker.

"The sci-fi community is amazing like that. I’ve seen first-hand how the genre really brings people together.

"I've also received donations from collectors who don't want to see the monsters they've loved and grown up with die, and so by donating pieces to me, they know they will be kept safe and restored properly."

It wasn't only expanding the collection which proved to be a long process. The construction of the museum in the basement of Neil’s Grade II listed townhouse took over two years, and he tackled most of the building work himself.

"The house was not for faint-hearted, it was a can-do, not a can't do project." Neil said. "But the first time I saw it, I saw opportunity. I turned to my wife Lisa and I told her she could have every single room in the house, as long as I could have the basement to fill with my collectables."

The museum might be completed (for now), but Neil is always thinking about its endless possibilities.

Sharing his plans for the future he said: "I'd like to use the space as a creative hub, perhaps a place for art workshops or creative writing classes. I'd also like to add more detail to the museum, maybe even expand it upstairs. We'll be opening a gift shop in the future, where memorabilia and limited edition science fiction artwork will be available, some of which I have illustrated myself."

Alongside being an alien curator, Neil teaches art at a middle school, where he has found a way to incorporate sci-fi into some of his classes.

"If I'm working on restoring something particularly interesting for the museum, I'll bring it along to the classes, and have the children work on it as a collective.

“They are all really enthusiastic about these projects, particularly when they got to help reconstruct The Thing's head.”

It was Neil's love of monsters, and his desire to share this love with his family, students and museum visitors alike, which was the catalyst behind the Museum of Classic Sci-Fi.

"I don't want these monsters to die," he said. "The thought of people's childhoods - my own childhood - being left to rot and deteriorate, with an alien leg here, or a superhero's torso there, I find such a depressing thought.

"That's why I restore them and care for them. I want these monsters to survive me, so my children can appreciate them too."

The Museum of Classic Sci-Fi, in Allendale Market Place, is open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10am -5pm.