Sneak peek inside new-look Northampton Museum and Art Gallery on day it should have reopened

A sneak peek of the newly-refurbished and expanded Northampton Museum and Art Gallery was revealed on the day it should have reopened to the public.

The Guildhall Road museum was due to welcome guests again on Saturday (June 20) after the £6.7 million two-year project but remains shut because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alongside pictures of the new-look interior and exterior, the museum tweeted on Saturday: "Today should have been the day we opened the doors to our newly expanded museum.

"Unfortunately we’re unable to open just yet due to the pandemic, but we thought we would give a sneak peek and share some photos of our stunning new home. More details coming soon! #LoveNorthampton."

The museum has doubled in size as a result of the project, which began in 2018 after a two-year delay and was funded by the controversial Sekhemka statue sale.

A nine-metre-high glazed 'atrium' has created space for two new galleries, a schools activity space, a cafe and a south-facing outdoor terrace.

Pictures in the tweet showed the new frontage, reception, atrium and one of the galleries - ready for visitors but Government Covid-19 restrictions mean it is unable to accept them.

The museum was due to open with a new temporary exhibition all about Northampton, a gallery of work by Northamptonshire artist Christopher Fiddes and a celebration of the town's shoe heritage.