ONE of the region’ s leading attractions is about to re-open in the wake of severe flooding.

And the Jorvik Viking Centre in York has now boosted its appeal by teaming up with the British Museum.

Nationally-significant Viking treasures from the British Museum will be on display alongside artefacts uncovered in York in the new galleries at the restored centre.

The JVC was badly damaged by the floods which hit York on Boxing Day 2015 and following extensive work it will re-open for the first time since on April 8.

Part of the artefact gallery has been designed to host loaned items from other significant Viking collections and, for the first three years, that will include some of the British Museum’s world-renowned collection.

“The displays within Jorvik have always focused on York and the discoveries made here on the Coppergate site,” said the centre’s director of attractions Sarah Maltby.

“But when we were looking at changing the format of our galleries as part of the re-imagining of Jorvik, we took the opportunity to explore the city’s context within Viking world.”

She added: “What was uncovered during the excavations of Viking-age Coppergate was evidence of how the Vikings lived their day-to-day lives but little evidence was found on this site of the Vikings’ fearsome reputation as warriors and invaders.

“Conversely, the British Museum’s Viking collections are stronger in weaponry and treasures, so these two complement each other wonderfully, enabling us to deliver an even more rounded depiction of the Vikings in Britain and elsewhere.”

The British Museum’s Viking curator Gareth Williams added: “Whilst we are based in London, the British Museum is a museum for the whole of the UK, so we are very pleased to be working with Jorvik Viking Centre to share objects from our collections to be enjoyed by different communities. “

The JVC’s galleries – which visitors enter as they finish their “time-car” ride around the recreation of Viking-age Coppergate – have been completely redesigned, to create a much larger space for visitors to explore the collections of artefacts.