A previously hidden space on top of Westminster Abbey in London which was once used for storage has been turned into a new gallery with a spectacular view on the nave.

The space, which was was intended for chapels that never materialised, has been closed to the public ever since it was built 700 years ago.

After a £23million refit it will be unveiled to the public for the first time on June 11 and become the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

The space was once hailed by Sir John Betjeman as offering the 'best view in Europe'.

Visitors will come to the gallery, which was previously inaccessible to the public, through a new tower housing a staircase and lift just outside Poets' Corner, between the abbey's 13th century Chapter House and 16th century Lady Chapel.

The gallery is the first major addition to the abbey church since 1745. It is part of a £22.9 million, privately funded development project for the two million visitors and worshippers who go to the abbey each year.

It has been arranged to tell the story of Westminster Abbey in four themes: Building Westminster Abbey, Worship and Daily Life, Westminster Abbey and the Monarchy and The Abbey and National Memory.