THE Archbishop of York will bless Shakespeare's Rose Theatre after it opens on Monday near Clifford's Tower.

Dr John Sentamu will perform the blessing at 12.30pm after the Elizabethan village in which the theatre has been created opens at 11am.

A town crier will be on hand to declare the theatre open, and local band York Waits will be performing 16th Century-inspired music.

James Cundall, chief executive of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, which is organising Europe's first pop-up Elizabethan theatre, will cut the ribbon to officially open the theatre, which has been built in three weeks on part of the Castle car park.

Yorkshire celebrity chef Brian Turner will be serving up the first of the gourmet Yorkshire street food on offer, to competition winners, while award-winning garden designer Sally Tierney will be unveiling an Elizabethan ‘Romeo & Juliet’ garden she has created.