A historic pub next to a theatre has re-opened after months of refurbishment work.

The Colonnade Bar in New Road, Brighton, had become a popular pre-show pub over decades but was closed as part of refurbishment works to the Theatre Royal next door.

The bar re-opened on Friday with "stunning" renovations to the site which included re-opening a cut-through door from the bar to the theatre foyer.

Sophie Denney, director of Theatre Royal Brighton, said: "It's a very exciting beginning chapter of the journey. We spent some time in there before it opened and its amazing the difference that having people in there makes.

"We are really proud to be the Theatre Royal Brighton and its important for us to be in the inner circle of the city. We want the pub to be the same, it should be a pub for the masses.

"The Colonnade is so important for the character of the building. We want to add to that and bring that all together."

Restoration work in The Colonnade included the ceiling which was stripped back and re-plastered before being replaced with a design re-moulded from the original ceiling.

The ceiling was described by Ms Denney as "stunningly beautiful but exactly the same".

Other changes to the bar include replacing the carpet as well as re-touches to fixtures and fittings at the site.

The work comes as part of a multi-million pound project to restore the façade of the theatre which is ongoing.

A door from the bar to the foyer of the theatre has also been re-opened so that customers can enjoy a pre-show drink before heading straight from The Colonnade to the Theatre Royal.

The theatre's owners, Ambassador Theatre Group, previously rejected claims that they were closing the bar despite signage and claims on social media stating that the bar would be shut from June.

A re-opening event for The Colonnade was held on Friday with the bar officially re-opening on Monday.