One of the oldest museums in Britain, the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology at Oxford University, is to close the public until November 2009 as part of a major redevelopment project.

First opened in 1683, the museum is undergoing a £61m revamp including the creation of a new 8,812sq m (94,852sq ft) exhibition hall, which will double the amount of available display space at the attraction. The museum has remained open since work started in 2006, but builders now require increased access to the existing site in order to create a new front entrance and breakthrough points between the new and old buildings.

A new education centre and conservation studios are being created as part of the redevelopment, while the new exhibition hall will house 39 galleries including the David Wheeler Gallery of Dutch Art, the Kreitman Gallery of Early Indian Art and the Prince Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud Gallery of Islamic Art. The museum's Western Art Galleries will also be refurbished as part of the scheme, with the installation of paintings and objects commencing in February 2009.

Rick Mather Architects was behind the design of the new Ashmolean building, while Metaphor Design has worked with the museum's curators to design and plan the new galleries. Funding for the redevelopment has come from a number of organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Linbury Trust and the Antiqua Foundation.