Princess opens city's £7m square

Princess Anne officially opened the square and planted some flowers

Princess Anne has officially opened Nottingham's revamped Old Market Square as part of a royal visit to the city.

She unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion before attending a special tea dance at the Council House.

The official visit comes at the end of two weeks of events to celebrate the completion of the square.

Some guests invited to the tea party attended a previous opening of the square by the Prince of Wales - later to become King Edward VIII - in 1929.

Vet school

The princess will be invited to plant the final flowers in new flowerbeds at the square.

The redevelopment of the Old Market Square has included the removal of walls and steps and other aspects of the 1929 design, which were replaced by granite flagstones, seating terraces, flowerbeds, trees and a water terrace.

Engineers have already had to be called in to deal with a problem with the square's water feature after pressure built up behind bricks, causing the stonework to expand.

The city has also had to remove graffiti from wooden rails surrounding part of the new public space.

The Princess Royal also opened the University of Nottingham's new veterinary school at its Sutton Bonington campus during her visit.