AFTER an 18-month restoration programme costing £5.5 million, Tredegar’s iconic Bedwellty House will not be finished for Saturday’s grand reopening, it was announced yesterday.

With over 4,000 people expected to attend, the town’s outgoing mayor cllr Haydn Trollope called the situation "a mess", saying "everyone in Tredegar will be fuming" at the news which comes two days before the big event.

Management board members were told on Wednesday that because of delays due to bad weather , design changes and extra work on the roof, Bedwellty House won’t be fully completed until June 17.

However, Saturday’s grand reopening of the house and country park will still go ahead, but without visitors allowed in most of the building.

Blaenau Gwent council executive member for leisure and culture, cllr Jason Owen said: "As with any project of this scale things can always come up at the last minute and we have to think of health and safety first. We know people are excited to see the finished house but we ask them to please bear with us, I can promise it will be worth it."

A procession will still go ahead, as well as choirs, activities and a memories of Bedwellty House display inside the grounds.

But, while a wedding will take place in the house,only a small section will be open to visitors before it closes for two weeks after Saturday.

Cllr Trollope said ongoing work will cost the town council £1,000 as it has to cancel performances there by Tredegar and Abergavenny town bands on the next two Sundays as well as a special service at St James’ Church.

Over 200 dignitaries were invited to the event, which included a parade to Bedwellty House on Sunday.

Cllr Trollope called the area "a building site", adding: "We’ve been expressing concerns to Blaenau Gwent council for 10 weeks it wouldn’t be ready in time. It’s idiotic to be told two days before."

Vice chairwoman of the management board Gaynor James said: "In future, maybe they should leave two weeks between estimated finishing of work and opening dates."

Town councillor John Morgan, also on the board, said: "Members weren’t happy that the house isn’t finished, but agreed to make something of the day."

A spokeswoman for Blaenau Gwent council said band concerts organised by the town council can't go ahead as the site is being handed back to contractors on Sunday. However, payments made can be underwritten to the local authority.

She said due to unexpected delays, Saturday's event will be a "special community preview events", with a "very small section" of the house open. A full re-opening will be on Monday, June 20.

Grade two-listed Bedwellty House was built in 1818 as a home for Samuel Homfrey, ironmaster at Tredegar Iron Company. It sat in 26 acres of grounds leased from Lord Tredegar.

It was given to Tredegar Town Council for the local people in 1900, with a band stand built in 1912, an open-air swimming pool in 1932 and circular gardens in 1952.

The council sat in Bedwellty House with it forming the first political platform for founder of the NHS, Aneurin Bevan.

It closed in late 2009 with Blaenau Gwent pledging to restore it to former glories after securing funding from the Welsh Government, Heritage Lottery Fund and Heads of the Valleys Programme.