INTREPID explorer and former Monty Python star Michael Palin dropped in to Oxford.
He appeared at Borders bookshop in Magdalen Street for a book signing, then went on to the Pitt Rivers Museum, where he is a patron of the Friends' group, to welcome the completion of a £8m extension. Mr Palin said: "I have always loved the Pitt Rivers wonderful eclectic displays."
The extension includes a new conservation laboratory, library, and facilities for visiting researchers. It also feature an exhibition gallery and lecture theatre.
The Phase II project will improve the museum public entrance and restore the original vista of its galleries, including the spectacular Totem Pole.
Original display cases, displaced to the Lower Gallery in the 1960s, will be returned to their place at the front of the museum.
The space upstairs vacated by these cases will provide additional space for schools and family activities.
Work on the new entrance is expected to start in July next year, and all the galleries may need to be closed for a number of months.
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