Colchester Castle is open to the public again following a £4.2million renovation project.

After a 14-month closure, the castle was officially opened to the public today by mayor Colin Sykes.

Europe’s largest surviving Norman keep has undergone a revamp to introduce state-of-the-art interactive technology alongside its historic exhibits.

The Colchester Town Watch, accompanied by the Colchester Institute band, marched from the High Street to the castle in advance of the official re-opening at 10am.

Museum manager Bill Seaman said: “We have had this date in the diary for a long time and it has really come together in the last few weeks.

“We have managed to get the balance between doing right by the fantastic collections and using the new technology.”

Using handheld tablets, visitors can have a virtual tour of the castle as it looked thousands of years ago.