THE reopening date for a Hampshire landmark has been revealed - but it is later than expected.

The revamped chapel at Royal Victoria Country Park (RVCP) in Netley will reopen to the public on August 1.

This comes after in April this year Hampshire County Council said the chapel would reopen by the end of June with an official ceremony set to be held later this year.

The authority has now said that the delay comes after the original contractor went into administration.

As previously reported, Wilding Butler, the company responsible for the restoration work, went into administration in 2016.

The Daily Echo asked if there were other reasons for the delay but the county council was unable to provide a comment before the paper went to press.

The Victorian-era chapel has undergone a major makeover which will allow visitors to access to parts of the building that were previously closed.

New displays highlighting the site’s history will be located throughout the park, including ones to mark the four corners of the former hospital.

These will aim to show the scale of the once vast building and to mark the railway station which brought thousands of wounded soldiers to the hospital during World War First.

The damaged hand-painted glass windows will be replaced and there will also be new staircases and a lift to improve public access.

Hampshire County Council’s executive member for recreation and heritage, councillor Seán Woodward, said: "As we near completion, my thanks go to everyone involved in the £3.5m project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the county council. The work ensures that the chapel, along with the whole country park, which is much loved by local people, remains a top destination in Hampshire for visitors.”

As previously reported, the chapel is the last remaining part of the Royal Victoria Military Hospital.

Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone of the military hospital on May 19, 1856 and it was finally opened in April, 1863.

However in 1963 a fire destroyed part of the central block and the main building was demolished in 1966, leaving just the chapel and a few outbuildings.