The historic Keep at Norwich Castle in Norfolk, England is to be restored to resemble its Norman heyday following the injection of £9.2m (US$12m, €10.5m) financing from UK grants body the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Plans have been submitted for the renovation and, if approved, construction will begin in Q2 2019 and the transformed keep will reopen in 2020.

Under the plans, operator Norfolk Museums Service has included the restoration of the original Norman floor level in the keep, making all five levels accessible for the first time.

Works will also include the development of a new medieval gallery – designed in partnership with the British Museum – new visitor and school entrances and new visitor facilities, such as a café, shop and digital learning spaces.

The British Museum has been a lead partner throughout, developing proposals for the new medieval gallery, while the University of East Anglia has also acted in an advisory capacity and is the project’s formal academic partner.

“We are delighted to be working on the project and will lend around 60 important objects for the British Museum Gallery of the Medieval Period, which will form part of the new displays in the Castle Keep,” said British Museum director Hartwig Fischer.

“The British Museum is committed to working with partners across the country to share the collection and our partnership with Norfolk Museums Service is a greatly valued relationship. I much look forward to seeing the project progress”.

Included in the announcement of the HLF funding is close to £3.6m (US$4.7m, €4.1m) (US$606,084, €525,839) raised from other public and private sources and an initial development grant of £462,400 granted by HLF in Q2 2016.