DOORS to Durham Cathedral’s much-anticipated new exhibition experience will be unlocked this summer, it was announced today (Wednesday, April 27).

The £10.9m Open Treasure project, taking visitors on a journey through some of the most beautiful and well-preserved monastic spaces in the country, will open on Saturday July 23.

Unveiling the opening date, the Cathedral’s Acting Dean Reverend Canon David Kennedy said: “It is wonderful to get to this point, because it has been a very long journey and carrying out complex building work to arrive at these final months of exhibition fit out and preparation ahead of opening the doors to our visitors.

"This £10.9 million development project within one of the world’s best-loved Cathedrals has been supported by donations from many individuals and organisations, including a grant of £3.9m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. We thank everyone for their support."

He added: “Open Treasure is more than the creation of stunning exhibitions and displays, which will be enjoyed by visitors to Durham and residents alike.

“It includes an imaginative programme of learning and outreach, enhancing the work we do with schools and the local community.

“Visitors to Durham, alongside those who live in Durham and in the North-East will discover new ways of enjoying the Cathedral and being inspired by it.”

The exhibition experience has been three years in the making and will take visitors from the Cloister, up into the 14th Monks’ Dormitory – with the largest oak-beamed medieval ceiling of its kind outside of Westminster - into a newly-created Collections Gallery.

It continues into the majestic octagonal Great Kitchen, through the Pilgrimage and Community Galleries, before returning to the Cloister.

Among the permanent exhibits are an extensive collection of Anglo-Saxon and Roman stones and casts, including the impressive, towering crosses.

A timeline runs the length of the dormitory, telling the story of the Cathedral’s history and brass pieces replicate elements of monastic life, including the beautiful books and tools used by the monks.

A large glass exhibit recreates a monk’s cell, showing the small spaces in which the monks slept and studied.

As well as things to see, Open Treasure is designed to be an interactive experience for all ages.

Visitors can listen to the magnificent sounds of the Cathedral’s Harrison & Harrison organ from a set of replica pipes that play out music -recorded by the Cathedral’s Master of the Choristers and Organist, Dr James Lancelot and the Cathedral Choir.

The Great Kitchen will house a series of glass cases which will eventually house the treasures of St Cuthbert, including fragments of his wooden coffin and Pectoral Cross.

A rolling programme of exhibitions from Durham Cathedral's own collections in the Collections Gallery.

To register an interest and receive notifications when advance tickets go on sale, visit www.durhamcathedral.co.uk.