REPAIRS to the roof of Christ Church’s dining hall are expected to be completed by June, college staff have said.

The famous hall at the college was closed to tourists in December last year after rot was discovered in one of the roof joints.

But treasurer James Lawrie said it is hoped it could reopen in June.

He said: “We have been repairing some of the joints in the roof and working closely with English Heritage and Oxford City Council.

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He declined to reveal the cost of the work but said: “The bulk of the cost is likely to be from scaffolding, of which there is a significant amount in the hall at the moment to create a platform.”

The hall has remained open to undergraduates in the evenings for dining, he added.

The Oxford University college has featured in a number of blockbuster films and attracts some 440,000 paying visitors annually.

In perhaps its most famous appearance, the hall was used as a model for the “great hall” of Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter film series.

Another scene from the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was shot on the 16th century staircase which leads up to the hall and the cloisters were also featured.