ONE of the area's most popular and historic visitor attractions has reopened its doors after half a year undergoing restoration.

Berkeley Castle celebrated reopening after major rewiring and replumbing work was carried out over winter and spring.

The 12th century castle, which has been in the hands of 27 generations of the Berkeley family, had to remain closed to the public during the work for safety reasons, but has been completed on time ready for the summer season.

The closure of the castle was deemed essential, as the electricity had not been rewired since the 1920s when the 8th Earl of Berkeley fitted electricity.

The whole project has taken 10 months, as work began in private parts of the castle last June - with an average of 20 contractors on site every day this equates to around 32,000 man hours.

Over two miles of pipework has been laid, five new boilers installed and over 300 metres of support steel, whilst the electricians have installed over 400 power sockets, 200 light switches and refurbished more than 100 light fittings.

General manager Vicky Parr said: "Castle staff moved and rehung in excess of 100 paintings, 15 tapestries and cleared and reinstated 20 rooms of furniture. Staff offices were combined and relocated into the gift shop during the winter, which ended up being one of the coldest on record."

She said a party, held last week, was to thank all the local contractors and craftsmen that had made the project possible.

For the staff one of the biggest improvements has been the lighting, as Ms Parr said "switching off lights in the castle had been a curious science".

The new lights mean that staff do not have to plunge themselves into darkness when they lock up – a scary thought when you remember Berkeley Castle was the scene of the brutal murder of Edward II in 1327 with his skull apparently still in the building today.

The castle is now open on selected days until the end of October and has a special programme of events throughout the year.