The newly renovated red sandstone of the Guildhall in Derry Londonderry was officially unveiled on 10 June as the building re-opened to the public.

Built in 1890, the Guildhall has suffered severe damage twice in its history – once by fire in 1908 and again through bomb attacks in 1972.

It has been closed for the past three years while it has undergone a £9.5million renovation, including repairs and cleaning of the stonework.

The stone specialist on the project was S McConnell & Sons. MD Alan McConnell told NSS the stone of the building had suffered the double impact of bombs and weathering. There was some substantial cracking and quite a lot of the stone had to be replaced.

There is ornate masonry on the building which was reproduced in McConnells hi-tec workshops using the company’s Omag CNC workcentres and Terzago saws, as well as the hand skills of the masons.

The stone used for the repairs was Corsehill Red supplied by Dunhouse. In Phase II a new room with a buff sandstone interior was added to the front to provide disabled access.

The exterior was also cleaned, using the Finalit products from Austria that McConnells are agents for in Northern Ireland. And it was finished off with a biocide to stop it going green.

With the Guildhall now open, McConnells has moved on to Phase III of the project, which is in a separate building that is being turned into the Harbour Museum.

Mayor Cllr Kevin Campbell said at the re-opening of the Guildhall: “As we celebrate being the City of Culture and the 400th anniversary of our historic walls this year, the restoration of the iconic Guildhall adds to the revitalised heart of our city, bringing new opportunities for civic, public and visitor access to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”