MONT Orgueil reopens tomorrow after a five-year £4.5 million makeover.

The Lieut-Governor, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire, will declare the castle open at 1 pm, after which the public will be admitted free to see the restored spaces in the Inner Keep and more than 50 new exhibits.

The acrimonious debate which surrounded the Jersey Heritage Trust’s proposals, the delays and last-minute panics will be forgotten as hundreds of Islanders are expected to converge on Gorey.

Trust chairman Jurat John de Veulle said he was looking forward to the opening and he hoped the weather would be kind.

‘The opening will appeal to all Jerseymen because it is free, so come along everyone and have fun and enjoy the castle,’ he said.

‘But the work is not all over as the need to care for the castle will go on forever.

There is no question of turning the key and walking away, there will always be work to do.’ Craftsmen, builders, trust staff and volunteers and historical re-enactors will be spending today working on the finishing touches and rehearsing to the wire to make sure everything is ready of the grand reopening.

Yesterday, light artist Chris Levine, the creator of Jersey’s Royal Holograph, came to the Island to install his latest image of the Queen in the Tudor Hall, where it will hang opposite a new portrait of Elizabeth I by Scottish artist Ronnie Heaps.

He was amazed by the transformation of the castle since his last visit.

‘I think it is impressive.

It is a beautiful piece of renovation work which has been really well done by the trust.’ This latest version of the holographic images – Mr Levine recorded thousands of images of the Queen over two sittings – has been specially adapted for the light and conditions in the hall’s grand chamber.

The £150,000 original version hangs in the Jersey Museum and other copies have been exhibited in the UK.

‘You will be able to see this one from any angle and it works much better than the original because of more ambient lighting,’ he said.

The Mont Orgueil version is also bigger, measuring 1.4 metres by 1.1 metres.

Weighing about 150 kilos, it will be suspended from one of the huge English oak roof beams.

Mr Levine expects to be back in Jersey soon to film an episode of a new series about Royal portraits being made by the BBC as part of the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations.

He also said he hoped to meet the Queen again in the near future because his images are being used for the celebrations.

Mr Levine said he had been busy recently adapting the images taken for the holographic commission for other works of art, such as the Royal Mint coins and UK special edition first-day covers for the birthday celebrations.

‘I have some fascinating material which I hope people will be able to see in time,’ he said.

Tomorrow the new image will just one of many original and fascinating exhibits – such as larger-than-life knights on horseback, sculptures, carvings, computer-generated images and films and medieval and Tudor weaponry, including a working replica canon which will be fired on the hour after 1 pm.

Visitors arriving by car are advised to park at the free car parks at Long Beach, opposite Gorey Common and La Crête quarry between Anne Port and Archirondel.

The Heritage Trust is operating a free park and ride service from both car parks to the Castle Green.