MUSEUMS and other historic sites in Worcester are gearing up to reopen as lockdown rules are relaxed.

Among the museums planning to open their doors are the Commandery in Sidbury and Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum in Foregate Street, both welcoming visitors from Tuesday. Hartlebury Castle will reopen tomorrow after being closed throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The Museum of Royal Worcester is re-opening its doors on Thursday, July 16. To begin with the museum will open between 10am and 5pm Thursday to Saturday and between 10am and 4pm on Sundays.

However, Tudor House in Friar Street is not expected to reopen until early August at the earliest. The National Trust has opened more than 100 gardens and parks in England and Northern Ireland through advanced booking but all their houses, including Greyfriars in Friar Street, remain closed.

Worcester Cathedral will open for visiting from Sunday. The opening hours will be 1pm to 3pm on Sundays and between 11am and 3pm Monday to Saturday but with restricted access to some parts of the cathedral.

The museums that will reopen aim to follow Government safety advice. Measures include queueing and one-way routes to help manage social distancing, enhanced cleaning schedules and hand sanitiser stations. The sites managed by Museums Worcestershire will be asking for card payments rather than cash for admissions and shop purchases. Head of Museums Worcestershire, Philippa Tinsley said: “Visitors may notice things will be a little different."

A new exhibition will feature at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, called ‘A Welcome View’ with is a series of Worcestershire scenes.