Newark Civil War museum offers tours

Visitors were given a rare opportunity to tour the site while building work is taking place

Visitors have been allowed to tour a 500-year-old building being transformed into a museum of the British Civil War.

The Magnus building in Newark, Nottinghamshire, held the tours in a bid to promote the project.

Officials said it was a chance for people to see what was involved and learn about the building's history.

The museum, which will tell the story of of the conflict that resulted in King Charles I being executed, will open in May.

As well as the Civil War displays, there will be galleries focusing on the local history of Nottinghamshire.

Newark in the Civil War

• Supported King Charles from early days of war in 1642

• Much of surrounding area sided with Parliament

• Besieged three times; February 1643, February to March 1644 and November 1645 to May 1646

• Population forced to eat dogs and horses but also issued own siege currency (pictured)

• Town never taken by assault but ordered to surrender by King

• Castle partially demolished by Parliament but nearby earth fort - The Queen's Sconce - one of best preserved in UK

Officials hope the £5.4m centre will attract 60,000 visitors a year.

The Civil War - a series of separate battles and campaigns fought across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland from 1638 to 1652 - is estimated to have killed 4% of the population, twice the proportion who died in World War One.