A date has been set for the re-opening of the ‘Sistine Chapel of the UK’ in Greenwich.

After a two-year conservation project funded by the National Lottery, the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College will open again on March 23.

The £8.5 million project, supported by a £3.1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, has reversed years of decay and conserved the Painted Hall for generations to come.

In the last couple of years the observation deck has given over 80,000 visitors the opportunity to see the progress as it became one of the largest open-access projects in Europe.

Its reopening is part of a major transformation project by Hugh Broughton Architects, with conservation advice from the College’s surveyor of the fabric, Martin Ashley Architects.

The Painted Hall experience will include a new multimedia guide providing an introduction to the paintings and for younger visitors a family trail has been developed alongside a range of sensory backpacks.

An audio-described tour will also be available for partially sighted and blind visitors and tablets will be available loaded up with a virtual tour of the hall, allowing visitors to zoom into detail on the ceiling.

Adult tickets will cost £12 with unlimited re-entry up to a year after purchase; children under 16 go free and there will be many other concessions available.

Angela McConville, chief executive of the Old Royal Naval College, said: "We are hugely excited to be able to reveal the beautifully conserved Painted Hall to the public in March.

"We care for the greatest ensemble of baroque buildings and landscape in the UK and we welcome over one million visitors and students to this special place every year.

"We passionately believe that the story of Greenwich starts here, on this magnificent site, and so it is a great delight that through this epic project, below and above the ground, we are revealing 500 years of history."

Opening times from March 23: Old Royal Naval College, 10am – 5pm daily and grounds, 8am – 11pm daily.