A new art gallery has opened its doors for the first time and has been hailed an important milestone for England.

The Towner gallery, in Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne, was officially opened by the town’s mayor councillor Greg Szanto on Saturday.

Broadcaster David Dimbleby, who performed the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of building work at the site, was the guest speaker.

Designed by award-winning Rick Mather Architects, Towner’s 2,300m² space includes temporary exhibition galleries of international standard, fully accessible Towner Collection display, storage and research facilities, a suite of rooms for workshops, events and meetings and large-scale exhibition halls.

It also has a café and terrace with views of the South Downs and a shop.

Sally Abbott, the Arts Council England director for arts in the southeast, which contributed more than £2million towards the new building, described it as “an important milestone in arts development for Eastbourne, the Southeast and for England as a whole”.

The project was funded by The Arts Council's capital programme, The Heritage Lottery Fund, South East England Development Agency, New Towner Trust and Eastbourne Borough Council.

Entry to the museum is free.

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