Drummers herald Ashmolean reopening (From The Oxford Times)

Drummers herald Ashmolean reopening

3:51pm Thursday 5th November 2009 in News

THESE Japanese drummers entertained hundreds of guests at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, which opens to the public following a £61m renovation on Saturday.

VIP guests were invited on Wednesday to see the changes at the museum in Beaumont Street, which has been closed for the past 10 months.

Joji Hirota and the Taiko drummers played while guests toured the 39 new galleries.

Museum director Dr Christopher Brown said he looked forward to opening the doors to the public on Saturday.

He hoped the new facilities would attract at least 500,000 visitors a year, compared to the 400,000 attending before.