A date has been set for the reopening of one of Oxford’s most famous museums.

The Pitt Rivers in Parks Road reopens on May 1 after being closed since last July for a £1.6m revamp.

A new entrance platform, which allows visitors to enter at the same level as the Natural History Museum, has wide steps leading down into the displays, with shop and reception areas to the side. Wheelchair and pushchair access is also catered for with a lift.

A new ‘environmental control system’ — advanced air conditioning — has been installed to help preserve the museum’s collections and improve the atmosphere for visitors.

Some of the displays themselves have been rearranged and more than 5,200 objects are being put back in their display cases.

A massive dugout canoe has been repositioned and an East African sailing boat has been raised and suspended from the rafters. Unseen artefacts from the reserve collection will also be put on show.

Museum director Dr Michael O’Hanlon said: “This major redevelopment will allow the museum to better serve the 200,000 visitors we welcome annually.

“Its completion is a testament to the support of many generous trusts and individuals, and to exceptional efforts by the museum’s staff, to all of whom I am very grateful.”

The Heritage Lottery Fund put up £1m, with other money coming from the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation.

Michelle Davies, of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “The Pitt Rivers is hugely popular, with a treasure trove of collections.

“We're proud to have supported the redevelopment."

The museum, which was built in 1884 to house the personal collection of General Pitt Rivers, will continue to keep its upper gallery closed to the public for a further 12 months as renovation continues.

For more information visit prm.ox.ac.uk