Plans to dismantle the tower crane which has loomed over Norwich Castle for the past four years have had to be postponed.

Work to take down the 136ft crane was due to begin on Monday and continue into Tuesday but forecasts of gusty winds has put paid to that plan.

Norfolk County Council says contractor Morgan Sindall had received specialist meteorologist reports which forecast that wind speeds would be too high on those days.

The crane has towered over Norwich Castle for four yearsThe crane has towered over Norwich Castle for four years (Image: Norfolk Museums Service)

New days for the dismantling of the crane will be set in due course.

The crane, which was installed on the Castle Mound in September 2020, has been used to carry material in and out of Norwich Castle during its multi-million revamp.

The £27.5m Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn project is recreating the Norman layout of the castle's keep, which will mean visitors can experience the building as it was in its medieval heyday.

The National Lottery-funded project has been hit with complications, including the coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of steel because of the war in Ukraine.

New discoveries during the work - including the remains of buildings from when it was a Georgian prison and previously concealed Norman features - caused further delays.

Because the building is Grade I-listed and Scheduled Ancient Monument, special permission has to be obtained before any work affecting the original fabric of the building can take place.

The rest of the museum has remained open during the work. Earlier this summer, a new entrance hall, cafe and shop were opened, with new views of the wall of the keep opened up.

The new entrance at Norwich CastleThe new entrance at Norwich Castle (Image: Denise Bradley)

Council bosses hope the keep will reopen in spring next year.

Museum bosses hope, once the work is finished, the castle will attract 300,000 visitors every year, compared to 200,000 previously.

READ MORE: Major JMW Turner exhibition opens at Norwich Castle

Two new lifts and a bridge will make the battlements fully accessible to all visitors, while a new medieval gallery will feature world-class objects loaned from the British Museum.