It was the best of times and it was the worst of times, but after four years the multi-million pound project to transform Rochester Cathedral's crypt has finally been finished.

The Hidden Treasures, Fresh Expressions regeneration project, which cost £5.7 million and saw the crypt and library refurbished, officially opened on Tuesday.

The crypt has become an exhibition space and a permanent home for the Textus Roffensis, a medieval book pre-dating the Magna Carta which was written at the cathedral by a single scribe in 1120.

It has not been without its problems as the excavation of the crypt uncovered a Norman structure under the Kent steps where the cathedral had hoped to install a lift.

Believed to be of great historical importance, the Norman pillar and steps have had to be preserved and can be seen in situ.

The Dean of Rochester, the Very Rev Dr Philip Hesketh said: “This has definitely been a challenging project, one which has tested the resilience and the determination of all those that have been involved but I guess if you mess around with a building that’s one thousand years old, then there may be a few hidden treasures that you were not expecting and a few that you wish remained hidden.

“What has been achieved is simply stunning and is a credit to those who have been involved, and quite honestly, I think the craftsmanship is fully deserving not only of our praise but of those predecessors who laboured on this cathedral in times, centuries past.”

Speaking at the official opening on Tuesday, Canon Hesketh said he had been challenged to find a quote from Dickens to express the project.

He chose the memorable lines from The Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

The launch also saw the opening of the Colyer-Fergusson Room, a long running project with the Colyer-Fergusson Trust. The room will be used by the Rochester Community Choir who performed at the opening.

The Hidden Treasures, Fresh Expressions project was mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The crypt and the permanent exhibition space for the Textus Roffensis, is now open to the public.

The crypt was due to be opened by the Countess of Wessex, who is the patron of The Rochester Cathedral Trust, but her visit was cancelled due to the fog.

For more, see Friday’s Medway Messenger.