A multi-million pound renovation at Dover Castle will start in November.

The transformation of the castle keep is being funded by the Sea Change Grant awarded to Dover over the summer by the Government.

It will cost £2.5 million and is part of a wider £5 million investment programme at the castle aimed at improving the attractions and reversing declining visitor numbers.

~Listen: Dirk Bennett from English Heritage speaks to Chris Price about what visitors will be able to experience>>>

It is hoped the changes to the castle will also act as a boost to other tourist attractions in the town.

South East Visitor operations director Tracey Wahdan said: "We hope the changes will encourage an extra 100,000 visitors to the castle every year.

"At present the average person stays for five hours but we are hoping the changes will mean we provide visitors with a two-day experience.

"It will mean people who come to Dover simply to see the castle will think twice and want to stay overnight and look at the other lovely attractions in the town too."

The keep – which is being given its original name of the Great Tower – will be taken back in time to how it was during the reign of Henry II.

After 18 months of research a team led by senior historian Paul Pattison discovered the keep was originally used as a royal palace by the king to entertain guests from the Continent.

He said: "The king had residences in castles all over the country and all over Europe and he moved around them with his court to keep an eye on his vast kingdom.

"With Dover being such an important link with Europe, Henry needed a place where he could come with his court before embarking on travels elsewhere.

"So although it was a castle to be defended it was also a quite splendid palace."

Dover Castle is English Heritage’s second most visited site after Stonehenge, attracting more than 300,000 visitors a year.

The keep will be closed while the renovation is undertaken from November until summer next year.