Glynn Vivian gallery reopens with parade through Swansea

A parade through Swansea heralded the opening of an art gallery after a five-year restoration project.

The Glynn Vivian Gallery closed in 2011 for a £6m renovation but construction delays mean it is now opening two years later than originally planned.

It reopened at 14:00 BST on Saturday after a parade from the YMCA on Kingsway - which acted as an offsite base during the closure.

Work by Turner, Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci is now on show there.

The renovated Alexandra Road attraction includes a new space for exhibitions, a new cafe and a shop, with about 90,000 visitors expected every year.

An extension also links the 1970s and 1911 sections of the gallery.

Swansea council's cabinet member for regeneration Robert Francis-Davies said the "wonderful character" of the original building has been preserved with it transformed into a "modern visitor destination".

He said it will make the arts "more accessible than ever" to Swansea residents.

First minister Carwyn Jones visited on Friday ahead of the opening.

He said: "This marvellous resource is now a fitting home for its many world class exhibits and able to reclaim its place as one of Wales's top cultural attractions."

The re-opened gallery will also exhibit artefacts its founder, Richard Glynn Vivian, collected on his travels around the world in the 19th Century.