Windsor Castle's Inner Hall closed by Queen Victoria opens after revamp

The Inner Hall was created in the 1820s

An entrance hall at Windsor Castle that was used as a store room after being closed by Queen Victoria has opened to the public.

Created by George IV in the 1820s, the vaulted Inner Hall was used in the early 19th Century to welcome heads of state and official guests.

Queen Victoria closed off the area in 1866, leaving it to be used for storage for decades.

The restoration project was funded by the Royal Collection Trust.

Visitors will also get a new view of the Long Walk

Layers of paint were removed in the Inner Hall to reveal the ceiling bosses which were created by Francis Bernasconi, a fashionable stuccoist of the Regency period.

The hall, with its intricate Regency ceiling bosses, is one of two new locations at Windsor open to the public as part of the trust's Future Programme.

Visitors will also be able to take a new route through the State Entrance to see where the Queen greets her guests.

The two-and-a-half mile Long Walk, created by Charles II in the 1680s, can be viewed from there.