A ceremony has been held at Brecon’s new museum and gallery to mark a milestone in its construction.

Y Gaer, the library and cultural centre being built at the rear of the 176-year-old grade II listed Brecknock Museum, is due to open in early summer next year.

The overall framework for the new building has now been put in place and the topping out ceremony saw a small tree tied to the roof of the steel framed structure at lunchtime Friday.

Politicians, representatives of contractors Kier Construction Western & Wales and those involved in cultural groups in the area met at the existing Brecon Library, in Free Street, before moving to the construction site in Glamorgan Street.

They were greeted by the sound of the Brecon Town Band who played throughout the ceremony when Jason Taylor, Kier’s operations director, and project manager Rob Hunt were lifted 12 metres on a platform with Elwyn Jones from Building Restoration Services to tie the ceremonial tree.

They were joined by apprentices Lewis Watkins and Llywelyn Stephens who are both students at NPTC College’s Brecon campus.

Kate Ellis, of Kier, said: "A topping out ceremony is a traditional way to mark reaching the highest point of construction."

Councillor Aled Davies, Powys council’s deputy leader, said: "It is a significant milestone in the construction of Y Gaer, which is a really promising project, for the whole of Powys not just Breconshire. Hopefully this is a first step to a brighter future for Brecon town and the surrounding area."

The £9million project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Powys County Council and a number of partners including the Brecknock Society & Museum Friends, the Brecknock Art Trust, the Army Covenant and CADW. The museum works involve the restoration and conservation of the Assize Court and court room, the opening of the underground cells and new dedicated gallery spaces.

The work includes a new state of the art library, public atrium space with café and a range of community facilities including education, community and conference rooms, function rooms, a shop, a local history studies room and tourist information.

Jason Taylor, operations director for Kier, said: "Whilst there is still much work to do, this is a significant milestone in the construction phase and we very much hope the community can enjoy seeing the building taking shape today and visualise how impressive it will be in the future."