Beauty of Cork's former Victoria Hotel limestone facade revealed

Experts spent months microblasting the paint and render to reveal the stunning cut Cork limestone, which was then repointed and restored.

The building which was the former Victoria Hotel at the junction of Cook Street and St Patrick Street has undergone two years of restoration work. Picture Dan Linehan

The expert who oversaw the restoration of a historic building's long-lost original limestone facade says he hopes the work on Cork's main street will inspire others to save old buildings, and help ‘activate’ the area.

Heritage conservation specialist Chris Southgate was speaking on Saturday as builders struck the last remaining scaffolding from the former Victoria Hotel site on St Patrick’s Street to reveal the full extent of the stunning cut Cork limestone which lay hidden beneath layers of paint and render for decades.