A MULTI-million pound revamp of Worcester's historic Royal Porcelain Works will be revealed this weekend.

The official opening marks the culmination of more than 18 months of work, turning the disused buildings into a new "cultural venue" for arts and entertainment.

The original showroom has been transformed into the Henry Sandon Hall, run by Worcester Live, which seats up to 140 people and can be used as a theatre, exhibition hall, concert hall or be used to host pop-up auctions or family events.

Antiques Roadshow presenter Henry Sandon will be carrying out the official opening at 11am on Saturday.

Mr Sandon said: "It's absolutely fantastic to be opening a building named after me, a great tribute."

The Samuel Driver White Suite incorporates a studio for artists and craftspeople to showcase their work and run workshops, and a boardroom available for private hire.

The centre includes the Nest cafe/deli, run by the team behind the Nest in Ledbury and the Handmade Scotch Egg Company, and a courtyard created by award-winning garden designer Olivia Kirk.

It also includes a gin distillery run by Nick Weatherall, whose was first involved with the project as a builder.

But as work progressed, he became so enthused that he decided to open up the distillery as part of the project.

He said: "As well as making my own Piston Gin, I will be holding gin-making workshops, where participants can use miniature stills to make their own gins, drawing on my large stock of herbs and botanicals."

Project architect Vincent Kirk said: "It's been very exciting working on the project, but the architect is nothing without the skilled builders and craftspeople, and they have done us proud.

The works has been enabled by the Bransford Trust, which aims to encourage greater participation in the arts, increase tourism and ensure a vibrant future for the historic location.

Royal Porcelain Works Limited chairman Colin Kinnear OBE said, “We are absolutely delighted to have completed the restoration and redevelopment of the works into a lively new cultural venue.”

Alice Brunt, marketing and development manager, said: “We are looking forward to inviting visitors to join us for the opening weekend which will be a great opportunity for people to see what we are doing.”

At the opening, visitors will be able to enjoy live entertainment including Rock Choir, Voices Unlimited, samba band Someone at the Door and The Butterfly Puppet Theatre.

There will also be the first Market Feast, featuring local artisan food stalls, face painting and craft demonstrations.