A modern gallery selling artwork costing up to £77,500 is set to open in a vacant city centre site.

Castle Fine Art has taken over the Canterbury premises formerly occupied by the Steamer Trading Cookshop.

It was initially thought the Burgate store would reopen as a Harris + Hoole coffee shop, after the cookery chain closed its doors in October.

But it is set to open next month as the 40th in a countrywide network of galleries owned by Castle Fine Art.

Describing itself as "the industry's leading art retailer", the company already has two Kent branches, in Tunbridge Wells and at Bluewater shopping centre.

Its new Canterbury site is set to stock works by the likes of Bob Dylan and Billy Connolly, and will sell pieces ranging from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands.

On its website, Castle Fine Art features work by an eclectic mix of famous names including Salvador Dali, Marvel, and Eve Arnold.

Its current most expensive piece - a set of 16 pop art-style silkscreens by Paul Stephenson - is on sale for £77,500.

The website also lists a boxed set by Bob Dylan for £224,900, though this is currently out of stock.

Managing director Ian Weatherby-Blythe says the firm has long had its sights set on Canterbury.

"We’ve felt for a long time that our art would be well received in the beautiful, cultural city," he said. “After a long search, we finally found the ideal location right next to the world-famous Cathedral in the former Steamer Trading Cookshop premises, which will undergo a custom refit with design features to suit our new style of gallery.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the people of Canterbury to the gallery and to introduce them to our art, which has never before been exhibited in the city."

The firm's galleries - aimed at "making fine art more accessible, bringing the art world’s contemporary talents to the high street" - stock original pieces, as well as limited edition prints produced by publisher Washington Green.

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